Ruben Amorim drops lineup hint for Bodo/Glimt game, he’s set to do something which Erik ten Hag didn’t

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The first game of the Ruben Amorim era at Manchester United is in the books but the home debut will happen for him under the Old Trafford lights.

Manchester United welcome Norwegian outfit Bodo/Glimt to Old Trafford for their fifth Europa League fixtures and it will be the first time Ruben Amorim manages at home.

Amorim’s first XI at Man Utd caught many off guard and the chances are that there will be some changes to it since the squad was suffering from injuries at the time.

Lisandro Martinez and Harry Maguire are already back in training which is a boost to the flailing defensive options but in the lead-up to the game, the Man Utd manager has dropped a lineup hint.

Ruben Amorim’s Man Utd XI hint for Bodo

Amorim had a two-week international break before his first United game but after the break, including Ipswich, United will play 12 games in 55 days.

That is a huge challenge made more difficult as the players will effectively be learning on the job due to the new system and instructions in place.

As such, Amorim has to strike the right balance of instilling patterns into the team, letting them learn to play with each other, while at the same time, not exhausting the same group.

Speaking to the press ahead of the Bodo game, Amorim lifted the lid on how he intends to navigate the challenge and in the process, hinted at his lineup for the game.

He said: “The squad is already split [into groups as per who’s playing and who’s not]. [For example], if Bruno plays tomorrow, he cannot train for two days. Even the day before the next match, he can train slowly, just jogging.

“What I am saying is that some guys that don’t play in the next day of the match they will have a real training session.

“Some guys will play, some will have the opportunity to have a real training session. Then, in the next game, we will change the position. Some of the guys will field the game and those who don’t play train the next day.”

He insisted that in the early days, everyone needs to have a feel for the game in actual match situations which is why he’ll be using the full squad so they can get it.

It hints that he is set to make multiple changes to the team which drew against Ipswich and the era of ‘untouchables’ is well and truly over.

Stark contrast to Erik ten Hag

Amorim’s comments stand in stark contrast to Erik ten Hag’s philosophy, especially during his first season.

There was barely any rotation as the manager insisted on the direct opposite of what Amorim was preaching here. Ten Hag used to say that it is necessary for the same batch of players to keep playing together.

That is how he believed patterns are instilled which asks the question that his patterns were more player-focused and what they could deliver.

Amorim, on the other hand, has a system in mind and he will give players a chance to feel that by rotating them so that regardless of who plays, the identity is constant, which is the way it should be.

Not only will that address the problem of United not having an identity, but it will decrease the injury worries in the squad if Amorim uses the full scope of it.

That solves two problems with one solution and aligns with Amorim’s philosophy of short-term pain for long-term gain.

The team will suffer as the new system takes place and the players keep changing but once the full squad gets comfortable with a single system, no amount of chopping and changing will hurt the team since the system will be bigger than the players who execute it, just the way it should be.