Ruben Amorim chose the brightest lights to make his boldest calls and all of them paid off in Manchester United’s 2-1 win vs Manchester City.
Man Utd performed well against City and would have been encouraged by the performance even if the result hadn’t gone their way.
However, Amad and Bruno Fernandes ensured United left the Etihad Stadium with more than just the “moral victory”, giving a lift-off to Ruben Amorim’s reign as Man Utd manager.
Perhaps for the first time since taking over, Amorim let loose a little, and instead of talking more about the things they need to improve upon, relished the moment.
That could be because he has finally found his strongest XI, as evidenced by what he did in the 78th minute or perhaps more importantly, what he didn’t do until the 78th minute.
Ruben Amorim sends message to Man Utd squad
When the teamsheet dropped, some big calls were instantly clear to Man Utd fans. Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho dropped from the squad was the biggest of them all.
Amorim didn’t shy away from admitting that it was a completely tactical choice and not a forced one, laying down the gauntlet for the duo to improve.
Harry Maguire came into shackle Haaland and did so expertly and the team was full of players willing to run themselves into the ground for the win.
If it wasn’t clear already, there’s something Amorim did during the game that hinted he’d found his strongest Man Utd XI or at least the template he’ll go with for future selection.
56, 59, 46, 56, 46, and 56 are not just random six numbers, they are the minutes at which Amorim made the first substitution in the games under him before the derby.
Against Manchester City, his first sub (outside of the injury-enforced change of Mason Mount) came in the 78th minute when Antony and Joshua Zirkzee came on, with Leny Yoro following shortly after.
He still made all five subs, as he regularly did at Sporting too, but the fact he waited till the 78th minute, even when the team was trailing, makes it clear that he was finally getting from the XI on the pitch what he had been demanding since the first day.
Amorim’s non-negotiables clear in Manchester derby
His delay in making the subs have made some non-negotiables under him clear and that needs to serve as a template for players outside the team.
Tactical understanding of the system will come with time playing games and on the training ground but outworking the opposition and giving your all every game is completely in a player’s hands.
The XI chosen against City was a collection of players that embodied that message and the result has been clear to see.
Even if the result hadn’t arrived, the fact that the players completely bought into Amorim’s system and performed well was a clear enough message of the way going forward.
Winning after dropping two big names only adds to that emphatic messaging. Amorim’s non-negotiables are clear. Players will either need to step up or step out.
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