What will Manchester United look like under the new manager?

After a treacherous competition match in 23/24, Ten Hag won the FA Cup vs Manchester City deploying an excellent tactical plan to suffocate City’s central space.

It showed he could beat one of the best teams in the world with a possession-based attack.

It’s tempting to think if that victory didn’t happen… Reuben Amorim would have been one of the candidates that new United owners INEOS would have spoken to in the summer and secured ahead of the season.

Instead, Ten Hag was heavily invested in the transfer market and given the opportunity to prove that previous poor results were due to the massive injuries suffered by United – something he repeatedly mentioned in the media.

But the problems had been apparent for some time.

Too easily manipulated by opposition manager changes, oceans of midfield space and a constant change in tactics, leaving United unable to hone a particular style.

Nine games into the season it became abundantly clear that Ten Hag had failed to address these issues and, unlike the speed with which he was removed, the current owner has not hesitated to find his replacement.

The current one Sporty CP manager who was previously courted Westham, Liverpool And Manchester city It looks like he’s heading to Old Trafford.

What is Rúben Amorim’s playing style?

Almost religiously, Amorim’s Sporting have played a 3-4-3 system, with three centre-backs deep in the build-up, two full-backs high and wide, two central midfielders and crucially two strikers in between, a lone striker who tends to stay inside.

The full-backs are crucial to the attack.

When the ball is played wide to one of them, the opposing defender is drawn out to apply pressure. When this happens, an attacker (Araujo) on the same side can run down the wing and drag a central defender with him, opening him up. a gap between the two central defenders in the defense.

This is a pattern of play we see time and time again under Amorim and it results in many goals coming from cuts or crosses.

The aim is to utilize the half-space created by the combination of an attacker and a full-back. This time, as the attacker drops deep to connect, he drags a player with him, allowing the wide full-back to make a pass into the half. space for a midfielder to shoot, receive and cross.

A full-back must go to Sporting’s full-back and a midfielder or defender is attracted to the winger on the same side nearby.

While two players are dragged to one side, an advanced midfielder of eight can hold the pass and cross where the penalty area is flooded by a striker, winger and full-back.

Amorim teams are used to having a lot of possession in the opponent’s half, with the three central defenders positioned high and waiting for the right moment to increase the speed of a move as players switch as they get closer to the goal.

When teams have put pressure on Sporting in the build-up, the Portuguese champions have used this to their advantage.

One of the two attackers on either side of the central striker can drop deeper and receive from the defense, dragging a player with him.

An extra player remains next to the two midfielders to receive and see how far up the field Trincão has dragged Tochi Chukwuanicausing a hole in the back.

While two defenders are going to close down a striker, a striker comes in Viktor Gyökereshe can be used in the run-up to release a full-back wide.

Again, the main aim is to create holes in the opponent’s defense and ensure that the player standing wide crosses the players in the penalty area.

How does that fit in with United’s current squad?

Although United’s current squad features a good number of centre-backs, many of these players have never played for United in a three-player system at the back.

Leny Yoro And Matthijs de Ligt were signed in the summer and could stand next to it Lisandro Martinez.

But with Yoro injured and without any Premier League minutes, it means that yet another United centre-back has the chance to step up and earn a place in the starting XI, albeit Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelöf or even Jonny Evans.

With the games coming in quick succession, each centre-back will likely get the chance to prove themselves Luke Shaw Coming back from injury, the Englishman could also compete in the same position as he filled the role under Ten Hag when needed.

However, it is likely that he will be needed at wing-back as this plays a crucial role in making Amorim attacks lethal, providing width and pulling players wide forward to create space.

Diogo Dalot And Noussair Mazraoui are certainly the first choice at full-backs, but from a United perspective it may be alarming that the Red Devils are a bit sparse in this area.

With Shaw and Tyrell Malacia are still sidelined, Lindelof and Martinez can come on when needed (as we saw in the 5-2 victory about Leicester) if Amorim wants to use his favorite 3-4-3 system.

At Sporting, Amorim brought in many youth players and will likely turn to United’s thriving youth academy, as many United managers have done in the past.

With injuries to the full-back, Harry Amass is a player who is strongly tipped to gain more first-team minutes as he shone in pre-season when Shaw and Ten Hag mentioned the player’s potential.

Another selection issue Amorim will face is that if he were to play with five at the back, an attacker would be missing.

Of Bruno Fernandes is likely to start alongside a central striker as the team’s lynchpin, there will be a huge competition for places as United have an abundance of attacking talent, particularly wide wingers and one of Alejandro Garnacho, Amad Diallo otherwise Marcus Rashford could miss out on a starting spot.

To compensate, we could see Fernandes deploy two deeper in midfield to make late runs into the penalty area, allowing Amorim to play two wingers alongside a striker.

Likewise, the Portuguese manager could use Rashford up front in the role that saw him score the most goals of his career in 22/23.

While it is good to have depth in attack, Amorim must ensure that they do not become dissatisfied and that each player gets enough minutes to make a difference.

Ten Hag failed at United because he changed his game plan too often. In Amorim, United will have a manager who has firmly relied on a system that has brought him success.

However, the Premier League is a very different beast to Liga Portugal: teams will often find an opponent’s weakness and exploit it.

Amorim may have a good squad to work with, but he needs to find a good balance between adapting his tactics when necessary and embedding him in a recognizable playing style.

The United job is a poisoned chalice of relentless criticism and pressure. Ten Hag’s appointment was also met with optimism before turning into another failure after the Sir Alex Ferguson era.

Whether Amorim is finally the candidate to take United back to its glorious heights remains to be seen. For now, his credentials, charisma and success at Sporting prove he is worth the opportunity.

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