It’s only two games in but I think we can start to see who looks like they will be well suited to this new Manchester United team and who won’t be.
Casemiro, Evans and Eriksen have been excellent professionals and have bags of experience but they don’t have the legs anymore to cover the sort of ground that this system requires.
Any player who either doesn’t have the fitness or the intention to do the hard yards won’t have a long term future under this manager.
I think any hope that Antony might find something as a wingback I think can probably be put to bed now. Yeah it was only half a game, but he might as well not have been on the pitch. He offered nothing.
I’m concerned over the futures of Rashford, Bruno and Martinez under this manager. All three have been key players for us over the last few years, yet none seem to quite fit for different reasons.
Rashford isn’t a striker and I don’t think he’ll adapt to the role, while I’m not sure he has the work rate right now to play as one of the attacking midfielders. I’m not sure that position really suits his game either.
Bruno is at his best when given more of a free role, and allowed to play off the cuff. That can’t really happen in this system as players out of position creates big gaps and causes structural issues. Everyone has to strick to their role, there isn’t a place for mavericks.
Martinez I think could be great as the central CB in this system. The more aggressive one who steps forward into midfield. The issue is that MdL also suits that role and while not as good on the ball he’s much stronger in the air. Martinez moved from midfield to defence because he lacked the athleticism needed in midfield. Yet the wide CB roles are sort of a hybrid between CB and fullback and as such require pace and the ability to cover ground. Something that isn’t in his skillset sadly. I can see him over time being phased out of this team. That is something that is heartbreaking for me as he’s my favourite player in this squad.
Players who look like they will do well off of what we’ve seen so far. Mazraoui has been very good at RCB, I’m not sure he’s ideal for the wingback role but I can see him doing well as either a RCB or even as a midfielder. He’s just soo intelligent, he always seems to make the right decision and never seems rushed.
Amad looks like he’ll be a favourite for Amorim, technically excellent, hard working and a very intelligent player who can follow instructions and makes good decisions.
Mount is another who I can see becoming a regular under the new manager if he can stay fit. He was at his best playing in the attacking midfield positions in a 343 at Chelsea. If he can get back to that sort of form then we have a player who can get double digits a season in both goals and assists.
Højlund looks like he could explode under Amorim, he has all the basic skills he asks of his CF’s, and Amorim’s system is all about make chances for the striker, with Højlund showing that he is very clinical when actually given chances to shoot.
MdL looks like he’ll probably nail down that central CB role, he seems ideally suited. He’s also a leader and he could play a vital role in helping this new team grow.
Dalot is one that I think will have the managers trust. He hasn’t been great so far, but is being asked to play a very unusual position for him. When we have the LWB slot sorted I think he’ll be a regular at RWB. The lesser defensive responsibilities along with his on the ball quality and his crossing ability in the final third mean he’ll probably become first choice in that position.
Onana looks like the ideal keeper for him, he’ll just need to work with the defence on their structure to play out from the back and reduce the number of long kicks he makes. Which he only tends to do because he doesn’t have a short passing option. When given time to make the long passes he’s actually great with them, but the majority of the ones he plays currently are ruched and under pressure because he has no other option.
If a miracle happens and Shaw can stay fit I think he could become the first choice option at LCB. It’s the ideal role for him and with a reduction in the amount of ground he would have to cover, the number of sprints and the intensity he has to play at he might actually get injured less often. Although I see this as a very long shot as I have no faith in his ability to stay fit.
There are also a few players who haven’t had the opportunity to play yet or have only had limited minutes who look like they will probably benefit from the new manager. Ugarte is the most obvious one, he’s played this system before under this manager. You’d imagine he’ll be a main stay. Mainoo also looks like someone the manager has taken a keen interest in judging by the training ground images. He has the ideal profile to play alongside Ugarte in an Amorim midfield. Yoro looks like a perfect option at RCB, although if Mazraoui keeps playing well there he might have a real fight for minutes.
Toby Collyer is a surprise name who I think has the potential to be a surprise success under Amorim. As a hard working, technically gifted and intelligent midfield who has the energy to cover ground for the whole 90 minutes he seems like the ideal profile for an Amorim midfielder, he also has the flexibility to be the player to cover for both Ugarte as the more defensive midfielder and Mainoo as the ball playing/ ball carrying midfielder tasked with progressing the ball. I don’t think he’ll get ahead of either in the pecking order, but he might make himself the first option of the bench to replace either of them or to start when one of them needs the night off.
Garnacho has huge potential, but his current skillset seems to leave him in an odd spot where he doesn’t have a natural starting spot. He’s best when playing wide and can move into more central areas, he plays more on instinct than rational decisions, and he’s looking to shoot at every half sight at goal. He isn’t really suited to either the wingback position or the attacking midfield positions right now.
Long term, I think if he’s prepared to put the work in and develop other parts of his game then I think he can become a great player in one of those attacking midfield spots. But in the short term he might be better suited as a super sub coming on for the final 20-30 minutes while he works with the manager and coaches on the training pitch to develop those other parts of his game. He’s got fantastic potential, and is young enough to be moulded into the type of player we need. It’s whether he is willing and able to develop himself into a more well rounded and complete player.
Written by Shappy November 30 2024 10:49:46
