The Brentford game seems to have broken something in the Manchester United fanbase, because it was clear that Ruben Amorim is definitely not helping his players, if not outright holding them back.
Ruben Amorim at least had the mitigating factors of broadly good performances despite shaky results till the 3-1 loss to Brentford.
Against the Bees, however, that was out of the window, as the team looked a jumbled mess, with Ruben Amorim outwitted by Keith Andrews with remarkable ease.
Rio Ferdinand has now claimed that it shouldn’t be a surprise, considering only four Man Utd players are being used in the right position by Amorim, with one being a no-brainer.
Rio Ferdinand on Ruben Amorim’s questionable calls
Amorim’s argument about the system being fluid generally makes sense, as a team is more than just the numbers on a teamsheet.
However, when he’s playing Mason Mount at wing-back, Bruno Fernandes as a poor man’s N’Golo Kante, and Patrick Dorgu as Roberto Carlos 2.0, questions are fair.
Such questions concentrated Ferdinand’s mind as well, because he claimed that out of the 11 positions on the pitch, only four are being used correctly by Amorim.
One’s a no-brainer, which is a goalkeeper, where an argument can be made that he’s not picking the correct player.
He said: “I think there’s only probably [Matheus] Cunha, [Patrick] Dorgu, the goalkeeper, and [Benjamin] Sesko, who are probably playing in positions that they’re used to playing all the time, and in a way that they play.
“All the others, I think, are having to adapt and have to learn a new way of playing. And that can’t be totally right.”
Amorim is refusing to take easy wins
The formation isn’t even the biggest concern for Man Utd fans watching intently; it’s the structure of the formation that is causing issues.
Amorim has painfully easy fixes for this mess that he can take to immediately relieve some pressure and improve results.
It’s general logic that a pacy defender is needed to play a high line, and yet, Harry Maguire is starting over Leny Yoro.
This United side struggled to control games and get the ball moving forward, and yet, Kobbie Mainoo is glued to the bench.
The incumbent goalkeeper has no long-term future at Old Trafford, and yet, he is keeping Senne Lammens, the potential long-term No. 1, on the bench.
All that is without even considering simple tactical tweaks that could hide the players’ weaknesses and accentuate their strengths.
Managers before Amorim have also failed at United, so he’s clearly not the only problem at the club, but it’s increasingly looking like he’s a big one.
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