Ruben Amorim had something to smile about on his birthday as Manchester United won a battle of attrition at Fulham, emerging victorious 1-0 at Craven Cottage.
There were a couple of welcome changes from previous games, with a clean sheet being the biggest one of them all.
Furthermore, there was no mountain to climb this time around as Man Utd kept Fulham’s threat to a minimum, albeit at the cost of their own attacking potency.
Harry Maguire performed well and Lisandro Martinez was the match winner but there was something that Ruben Amorim did which he deserved credit for.
One player in the Man Utd squad will be particularly thanking him for it!
Ruben Amorim’s tactical change vs Fulham
After more than two months at Old Trafford, it is getting easy to predict Ruben Amorim’s XI which is a good sign because he promised that would happen with time.
Nobody is mistaking consistency in selections with the players being ideal for him but it at least points to the fact that he’s clear in what he wants from each role.
Therefore, when the lineup for the game dropped, there weren’t many surprises, if any, with the major one being Bruno Fernandes starting as a deeper midfielder, allowing Amad and Alejandro Garnacho to start as the two No. 10s.
However, that was still predictable. What wasn’t predictable was United’s shape when the game began.
In a departure from nearly every game so far, Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui swapped flanks, with the Morrocan moving to the left, allowing Dalot to return to his stronger right foot.
Neither Dalot nor Mazraoui impressed much vs Fulham but that was the case even when they played in opposite positions which is why a new wing-back is being looked at.
However, that change unleashed Alejandro Garnacho to do what he does best.
Alejandro Garnacho benefits from Ruben Amorim change
Garnacho has forced himself back into Amorim’s plans through application and tenacity but his ideal role in the system is still not clear.
That’s because he’s not shifty enough to operate well in quick spaces, a necessity to operate as an attacking midfielder, and not physical enough to play as a wing-back.
However, Amorim’s tactical change vs Fulham allowed Garnacho to play to his strengths while hiding his weaknesses.
Mazraoui playing on the left was almost a No. 10 at times because he was constantly inverting and creating overloads in the midfield.
That inversion allowed Garnacho to stay out wide and function as a natural winger, a position that doesn’t exist in Amorim’s setup on paper.
He could pick up the ball out wide in acres of space and cut inside onto his stronger right foot which is what his biggest strength is.
Dalot had started overlapping with his left foot which was to his credit but this change unlocked Garnacho’s best strengths.
Whether it is a system worth sticking with remains to be seen but it was another example of Amorim being wedded to his philosophy, not a formation. Garnacho would thank him for it!
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