Amad and Bryan Mbeumo are already the two most important players in the Man Utd squad, but AFCON has just shown Ruben Amorim that there’s another level to their game.
Much has been said about Ruben Amorim’s system, but one key feature of his setup is that it allows both Bryan Mbeumo and Amad to play in the same team.
If United played a conventional back-four setup, Amad and Mbeumo would be fighting it out for the right-wing spot, which would have been counter-productive.
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As it stands, they have formed a devastating partnership on the right, but their recent exploits at AFCON show that there’s another level to be reached.
Ruben Amorim making a trade-off with Amad and Bryan Mbeumo
Currently, Amorim plays Mbeumo as the right-sided No. 10 with Amad as the wing-back behind him.
Both players are left-footed, so they try to constantly switch between sticking to their position and underlapping to confuse the opponent.
It adds a unique dimension to the attack because most teams generally play with an inside forward and an overlapping full-back.
However, what this also does is leave Amad prone to getting beaten on the far post from crosses coming down the left wing.
Currently, it’s a trade-off Amorim is willing to make because Amad is so effective in attack. But what if he could unleash both Amad and Mbeumo at their best without compromising the defence?
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At their most recent AFCON game, Amad wreaked havoc as the right-winger, while Mbeumo was a creative force as the No. 10.
Fortunately, that can be replicated at the club level as well with a single tactical tweak.
Amorim can unleash the best of Amad and Mbeumo with a tweak
It has been a boost to United that Amorim looks increasingly open to making tweaks to his system, be it with the shape or the player roles.
That was visible against Bournemouth, when Amad functioned almost as a right-winger when United had the ball, as Leny Yoro shifted out wide to play right-back and form a flat back-four.
It relieved Amad of his defensive responsibilities, and with Mbeumo coming inside to play as the No. 10, United caused Bournemouth a world of problems down the right.
If Amorim can really hammer home that setup in possession on the training pitch, United will solve multiple problems at once.
Firstly, both Mbeumo and Amad will be unleashed in their ideal roles without compromising defensive solidity.
Secondly, it will end the need for an “Amad 2.0” on the left because, in this case, the left wing-back will be dropping back to become a left-back, so an attack-minded player won’t be needed.
United can then concentrate their efforts on securing an athletic defensive midfielder like Elliot Anderson who can stitch the attack and defence together.
AFCON showed Amad and Mbeumo work best as the RW and CAM respectively. Amorim just needs to make the tweak against Bournemouth second nature for the team.
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