The games that used to be like a lamb waiting for slaughter for Manchester United fans have suddenly become the hope for points in a heavy fixture list.
Manchester United continued their positive record in big games under Ruben Amorim against all expectations, this time traveling to Anfield and earning a draw.
It follows losses against Bournemouth, Newcastle, and Wolves, with their last Premier League win coming away at Man City.
It’s a complete 180-degree turnaround from what things used to be under Erik ten Hag, and within just two months, Ruben Amorim has already traveled to Arsenal, Man City, Spurs, and Liverpool and came away with good performances.
That was the stick used to beat Ten Hag so for Amorim to have made such a difference despite coming in the middle of a season with barely any training sessions is a huge feather in his cap.
Gary Lineker has a theory as to why that has happened.
Gary Lineker on Ruben Amorim in big games at Man Utd
Perhaps the biggest feature of United’s positive performances in these games is that it has not come about by ceding possession and playing like an underdog.
United got positive results away at top sides under previous Man Utd managers as well but they almost always came as a result of playing on the counterattack and ceding initiative.
Amorim’s United, despite being in its nascent stages tactically, has gone toe-to-toe in these games, controlled the ball, and avoided any smash-and-grab accusations.
Lineker spoke on The Rest is Football podcast after the Liverpool game and theorised as to why United have looked better in big games under Amorim.
He said: “We saw the same thing at Man City, I think it suits them a little bit, playing against teams that are really good and attack.
“They’re almost a counterattacking team in some ways – that’s what we’ve seen in the last two or three seasons. That’s not necessarily Amorim’s chosen style but it has worked.
“United fans will be thinking, ‘That is the commitment we want to see week-in-week-out.”
Lineker’s claim is wide of the mark
Lineker’s claim that United have played well in big games because of their counterattacking prowess does a disservice to the bravery with which Amorim has approached these games.
United had 47% possession at Anfield and 48% possession at the Etihad Stadium, both figures never before touched under any previous United manager, regardless of the final result.
United have shown bravery to get on the ball and control games with it under Amorim which is a marked departure from how managers before him approached these games.
The manager most successful in these fixtures, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, loaded his lineup with pacy and physical players and won on the counterattack but Amorim’s style couldn’t be more different.
United certainly look threatening on transitions but that is a byproduct of having explosive players like Rasmus Hojlund leading the line, who like to run off the shoulder of the last defender.
The team created chances through spells of sustained possession and off-the-ball movement, the likes of which fill Man Utd fans with hope for the future.
Counterattacking can be a feather in the tactical cap of the club but it limits how good a team can be if it’s the only feather. Amorim has ensured that doesn’t happen.
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