Ruben Amorim received another harsh reminder, as if he needed any, of the scale of the job that awaits him at Manchester United.
Man Utd limped to another home loss, this time a deja vu of Bournemouth’s last visit to Old Trafford as they lost 0-3 in a manner that will leave Ruben Amorim scratching his head.
United created plenty of chances but moments of madness and nervousness scripted a calamitous result that will have the scanner focused on many players.
One of those will be a player whose form has fallen off a cliff under the new Man Utd manager when he was the first name on the teamsheet under Erik ten Hag.
Lisandro Martinez’s struggle under Ruben Amorim
When Amorim arrived at Old Trafford, Lisandro Martinez was among the list of players whose place was the more secure regardless of who the manager was.
Martinez is a consummate professional who sets standards on the training pitch and has never been a problematic presence in the dressing room.
His fit in a back three was clear too as he was the only left-footed centre-back in the team besides Jonny Evans who’s a fringe option in an ideal world.
After shaking off an injury in the initial days of Amorim’s tenure, however, it has all gone bad for Martinez, with another nadir coming against Bournemouth.
His lack of physicality has been exposed repeatedly and against the Cherries, the same was on display again. His piercing, line-breaking passes from defense don’t have the same zip anymore and opponents are targeting him for a foot race in the wide channels.
He’s not being helped by the lack of a quality left wing-back, with an ever-revolving door of contenders being fielded in that position.
Still, the expectations from Martinez have been sky-high since he installed himself as an indomitable figure almost immediately after arriving at United.
He’s falling way short of those standards, much to the worry of Amorim.
How can Man Utd get Martinez firing again?
The problem with Martinez, like with the rest of the team, seems as much mental as it is tactical but there are some things that are hurting him in this system too.
Amorim seems to prefer centre-backs who can play vertical passes quickly instead of dawdling on the ball which doesn’t suit Martinez’s strengths.
Ten Hag often asked him to slow the play down and look for passes between the lines, and the back-four system meant most of the running down the channels was done by the full-backs.
Martinez was doing what he does best, engaging with the attackers higher up the pitch, taking his time on the ball, and finding runners while bypassing the midfield.
Amorim’s yearning for control and wanting more speed and physicality from his centre-backs are precisely the two traits he’s not good at.
Martinez will have to switch up his game a bit but his mentality and talent mean he shouldn’t be ruled out and written off. If he can get the mental part right, the tactical side will improve it.
He’s too important for United to not do so.
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