With Ruben Amorim all but confirmed I thought I’d look at the Manchester United squad and assess who will likely be the beneficiaries of his appointment and who will be the players to lose out. Which should also highlight where the club needs to focus to improve squad over the coming transfer windows.
First looking at his tactics. He has been fairly loyal to a 343 shape, only moving to a back four when push comes to shove during an injury crisis more or less. Yet his 343 shape does offer plenty of tactical flexibility and he has shown himself more than capable of the kind of tactical tweaks needed to win tough games.
Typically his side is very strong and compact down the spine, the two “wide” forwards tend to play narrower in the half spaces with the width coming from the wingbacks (who are effectively wingers in possession) .
This forces teams wide down the wings, where his team can then press them using the sideline win back the ball.
His team tends to have high levels of possession, but are adaptable to how they attack, either through slower build up, or quick transitions if they are available. Making his side more unpredictable and harder to defend against.
As for the players.
Onana will be a great option for Amorim and will almost certainly keep his place. Bayindir and Heaton will likely continue to be back up or replaced if they want to move on for first team football.
Yoro I think will be a massive beneficiary of the change of manager, as the back three system creates an extra position for him alongside MdL and Martinez. Rather than having to compete with them for a starting spot. While the extra defensive cover will be ideal as he settles into life in the EPL.
Maguire might also benefit from a back three system as he’s tended to look his best when in a back three. He might well have the one year option on his contract activated. Even if he just stays as back up. Lindelof and Evans will leave in the summer and the club will need to sign at least one new CB, probably two.
Dalot might also be a real beneficiary as well. After a great season from him last year, the one area of fault he still has in his game is losing his man at the back post. Yet with three CB’s that won’t be such a problem any more. Mazraoui will also transition into a wingback role well.
Shaw if ever fit should also adapt fairly well either to a wingback role or as a LCB. Malacia I think is the first casualty as I don’t think he’s a natural wingback not is he physically able enough to be a LCB. Harry Amass might also benefit from a wingback role as the lesser defensive responsibility will make it easier for him to get game time. But it’s obviously that the club will need to bring in another wingback. Maybe resigning Alvaro Fernandez with the buy back clause could be a great and cost effective option.
Ugarte is another who looks to be a big winner of the manager change. After all he made a name for himself under Amorim in his 343 system. Alongside an aggressive ball winner he like a defensively diligent ball progressor. That would suit Mainoo down to the ground. Casemiro and Collyer both also look like good natural fits for his midfield pivot. Eriksen lacks the defensive nous to play this role and is another who doesn’t seem to be a natural fit. We have potentially three players who suit the more defensive midfield option, but only Mainoo who is a ball progressor. So will probably need another midfield option who can help move the ball through midfield.
The wide forwards positions are typically hybrid roles, with them being tasked with creating and moving in field more like No.10’s. Bruno, Mount and Amad all look well suited to such a role. In fact it was this role where Mount really excelled at Chelsea.
Rashford, Antony and Garnacho all seem less suited to this role, although Amorim has used pacy dribblers in certain games at Sporting. However, I think if they are to have a future they will need to adapt and learn from the new manager. Garnacho and Rashford should be capable as they have the requisite skills to adapt, it’s just a case of do they have the mentality to do so. Antony though does not have the skills to adapt to this role. In fact the only place in the team I can see him even having an outside chance of adapting to is the LWB role. However, given his reaction when asked to play that role previously I doubt he has the mentality to make that move work.
Højlund looks like the kind the striker he has liked to play with previously, and will likely be his first choice. Zirkzee is an interesting option, he’s very different to the kind of striker he has used before but he does offer a different option that a tactically astute manager can make use of. Given his record of promoting young players I wouldn’t be surprised if he gave young Chido Obi-Martin some game time this season in cup games or for the final 10 minutes here and there.
Players who I think will really benefit from his appointment: Onana, Yoro, Dalot, Amass, Ugarte, Mainoo, Collyer, Mount, Amad and Højlund.
Players who I think will be regular players and suit the system:
MdL, Martinez, Mazraoui, Shaw and Bruno.
Players who can play the system but aren’t long term options: Maguire, Lindelof, Evans and Casemiro.
Players who need to adapt to find a place in the side: Rashford, Garnacho, Zirkzee.
Players who don’t suit the new system and will need to move on: Malacia, Eriksen, Antony.
Looking at that the main causalities are mostly players we’d have expected to be moved on soon anyway (Eriksen, Antony, Malacia, Maguire, Evans, Lindelof and Casemiro) . With question marks over the heads of Zirkzee, Rashford and Garnacho. Can they adapt to a role in this new system?
While areas we will need to strengthen are CB, LWB, CM and possibly one in the forward line. All positions and roles that we were looking at regardless of who the manager would be as they are just areas of need. Maybe the profile of the players we want changes slightly but probably not too much.
This is actually a good sign that the club is being run properly. We have replaced the manager and yet the areas of the squad we are looking to improve haven’t changed, because we appear to have hired a manager who is well suited to the majority of the players we have, particularly the ones we want to be part of the long term project.
I’m looking forward to seeing how he does.
Written by Shappy October 30 2024 16:05:32
