Ben Foster calls Ruben Amorim ‘really naive’ for doing one thing at Man Utd, but he’s exactly right

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The focus turns back to the games at Manchester United after a mixed transfer window and that means renewed scrutiny on Ruben Amorim and his team.

Man Utd are reeling again after yet another loss at Old Trafford, this time to Crystal Palace by a score of 0-2, where they were given a lesson in centre-forward play.

The contrast was painfully stark for Man Utd fans as they saw Jean-Philippe Mateta run circles around the defence while Kobbie Mainoo struggled against three giant centre-backs.

Ben Foster looked back on the game but spoke holistically, claiming that Amorim is being ‘really naive’ for doing one thing at the club.

Ben Foster on Ruben Amorim being ‘really naive’

Ruben Amorim took over a club 13th in the Premier League but only four points off Champions League qualification and after nearly three months at the helm, United are still 13th, but 14 off fourth place.

In most situations, that would invite intense pressure on the Man Utd manager but this is not most situations, far from it.

Amorim is having to instill a new identity and system into a team lacking it for far too long, even if it comes at the cost of short-term pain.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
11	BrentfordBrentford	24	9	4	11	42	42	0	31
12	Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace	24	7	9	8	28	30	-2	30
13	Man UtdManchester United	24	8	5	11	28	34	-6	29
14	TottenhamTottenham	24	8	3	13	48	37	11	27
15	West HamWest Ham	24	7	6	11	29	46	-17	27

Ben Foster, however, doesn’t agree with that assessment, terming Amorim’s tactical “stubbornness” really naive while speaking on his YouTube channel.

He said: “I like Ruben Amorim. I think he’s got the potential to be really good. I like everything he says, and makes the right noises but he’s been really naive in saying, ‘No, I play 3-4-3 and that’s it’.

“You can’t do that in the Premier League. You’ve got to work with the players you’ve got. To just say 3-4-3 and we’re doing it, if you don’t have the players, that’s just naive.”

Ruben Amorim is doing the right thing at Man Utd

While Foster’s general point is valid, in the sense that a manager can’t be completely stubborn about his playing style, his point about Amorim is pretty far off the mark here.

That is because the Man Utd manager has been far from stubborn in his setups and player roles so far at Old Trafford.

He has repeatedly urged people to look beyond the three numbers that indicate a formation on paper and actually try and see the roles and shape on the pitch.

• READ: Confirmed Manchester United transfer deals for January 2025, ins, outs, loan moves, deadline date

United play effectively in the same shape out of possession as they did under Ten Hag, with the team switching between 4-1-4-1 and 4-4-2, and while attacking, they create the same front five they have done before under previous managers.

3-4-3 is just the starting point from which various shapes are changed so to call Amorim naive because the match graphics say United are set up in a 3-4-3 before the game misses the wider point.

In any case, abandoning the principles to secure some results in the short term is what led United to this position. Maybe they need a bit of stubbornness!