The early signs are rosy for Ruben Amorim at Manchester United as even the international break looks to be helping his key players, the latest being Matthijs de Ligt.
After Manuel Ugarte’s brilliant Uruguay displays, and players like Bruno Fernandes returning early after impressing, Matthijs de Ligt has also made a statement.
The Netherlands drew against Bosnia and Herzegovina 1-1 but De Ligt will make the headlines as this was the first time he played the full 90 in a while.
Bosnia were the opposition the last time he did, back in the September international break which was followed by his half-time sub vs Germany due to errors.
Returning to play 90 against Bosnia here, De Ligt had a remarkable performance that showed he is a seamless fit in Ruben Amorim’s setup.
How Matthijs de Ligt fared vs Bosnia and Herzegovina
It was the Netherlands’ last game in the Nations League and the last international break until March so the opportunities were running out for De Ligt.
Stefan de Vrij and Virgil Van Dijk had established themselves as undisputed starters in the first XI but De Ligt had earned a chance to impress on the back of good performances at Old Trafford.
After not coming off the bench vs Hungary in the previous fixture, the centre-back would have been determined to make his mark which is exactly what he did.
De Ligt put on a passing and buildup clinic away at Bosnia, finishing as the player with the most passes attempted, completed, and touches, as every phase of the game went through him.
He was the only player on the pitch to cross 100 in all three metrics, a remarkable feat that showed just how involved he was in the game.
The Dutchman finished the game with a passing accuracy of 92%, having completed 102/111 passes on 117 touches.
It wasn’t all useless sideways passing either, as he had eight passes into the final third, two touches in the opposition box, and created one chance, proving how adventurous he was. (Stats courtesy fotmob)
He barely had to do any defending as his team dominated possession but he did his job when called upon, not being dribbled past and finishing with four defensive actions.
Ultimately, his team were unlucky to draw the game but they consolidated their second place behind Germany in the group, and for United, the immediate future looks a lot more promising.
Matthijs de Ligt’s fit in Ruben Amorim’s tactics
De Ligt starting to show signs of returning to his best is extremely good news for Amorim because, in his three-at-the-back formation, he’s going to need all the centre-back help he can get.
After Victor Lindelof’s injury on the international break, that number dwindled by one but Leny Yoro’s return should ease some worries.
If De Ligt continues his passing metronomic ways combined with assertive defending, he is a seamless fit in that middle centre-back spot in a three.
Amorim generally uses a jack of all trades in that role. That means a player who can be a no-nonsense defender when needed but is also able to step into the midfield to form passing triangles.
In fact, the defensive security provided by numbers will further help De Ligt as the occasions of him having to defend one-on-one against an attacker in space will decrease.
That has been his one weakness in an otherwise perfect game which is good news for United because Amorim’s tactics address that which maximising his strengths.
United could finally be about to get the De Ligt who was likened to footballing greats when he broke through at Ajax.
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
