Ruben Amorim managed what may be his final Sporting Lisbon game on Tuesday night as Manchester United close in.
Sporting Lisbon fans had an emotional Tuesday, with Ruben Amorim looking likely to exit as he nears a move to Old Trafford.
Tuesday afternoon, Sporting Lisbon released a statement confirming Manchester United’s intention to trigger his release clause.
Despite this, the 39-year-old then took charge of Sporting’s cup quarter-final against Nacional – and afterwards as expected Amorim’s press conference was centred around United.
But from the game, there were also some interesting topics to raise – as we learned six things from the 3-1 Sporting win.
Sporting compact in the middle of the pitch
One massive issue for Erik ten Hag’s United over the past year has been how open the midfield is, with the double pivot regularly being torn to shreds.
Therefore to watch Sporting Lisbon actively fight against this is very encouraging from Amorim.
When the ball was lost by Sporting, almost the entire team were on the same page, crowding the midfield and making it really compact to avoid being split open.
This forced the opposition out wide, where they could be dealt with easier and also were further from the goal.
The right attacker role has Amad written all over it
In the game, Amorim used Marcus Edwards and Trincao on the right, with both being silky dribbles – resembling the qualities that we can find in Amad Diallo.
The wingers are more inside forwards than traditional widemen – and with this in mind, Amad could be perfect as one of the creative forwards behind Amorim’s No.9.
After the bizarre treatment from Ten Hag, this could be the manager Amad has been waiting for.
Amorim implements high-line
If Amorim is to be made official, one thing which will change under his management was clear against Nacional – that being the defensive line.
Sporting had a very high line in this game – which is the norm for an Amorim side.
This would be a huge change for United, considering that Ten Hag played a low defensive line at United which caused issues with the rest of the team usually disproportionately high.
This could mean United need to add a couple of faster centre-backs.
Sporting’s attacking football looks deadly
United have not only been struggling defensively – but the offence has also been awful in recent months.
One thing noticed in Sporting’s performance vs Nacional was the amount of movement around the box – which Nacional simply could not compete with.
With these tactics, Bruno Fernandes could have a field day as he will have so many passing options in and around the box.
Sporting controlled the game
For far too long, United have been playing football on the back foot, even seeing teams like Twente be the better team in fixtures – but under Amorim, this should change.
Amorim’s teams are possession-dominant and Sporting proved this against Nacional – completing a huge 572 passes in the game while keeping 69 per cent possession.
We expect that this will be something he looks to instil at the club quite soon upon the deal being made official.
Amorim rotated his team
For United, one thing which Ten Hag was truly awful at was rotating his squad – with his insistence on playing his first-choice team likely playing a part in the injury crisis.
Amorim however showed he is not the same, rotating heavily against Nacional and still managing to pick up the win.
This would be a welcomed trait at United, as it would mean we likely see more youth players given a chance and less chance of our star players being injured for being overused.
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