Ruben Amorim - Manchester United Head Coach | Thread locked during matches

[Redstain]

Did he ever explain why he brought Lindelof on ?

Was baffling to me, unless it's to preserve fitness in the event of injuries I was as bewildered as the look on Maguire's face when he came off.

 

[Raoul]

Was baffling to me, unless it's to preserve fitness in the event of injuries I was as bewildered as the look on Maguire's face when he came off.

The only plausible thing I can think of is he wanted to give Lindelof enough appearances so he could collect a medal if we win the whole thing.

 

[tomaldinho1]

The only plausible thing I can think of is he wanted to give Lindelof enough appearances so he could collect a medal if we win the whole thing.

Not sure coaches really think like this when they are in a make or break game.
Lindelof did actually play the ball that then led to the Zirkzee goal, sadly he was also at fault for the equaliser so he's net neutral I guess.

 

[Cypriot]

My theory is that they've identified the last 10 minutes of a game as the most likely time to pick up an injury - and because we've had such bad luck so far, they're playing safe by getting them off.

 

[Chipper]

Did he ever explain why he brought Lindelof on ?

Not sure there's always a big reason.

Give a man 5 subs to play with and he'll often find a way to use them for the sake of it. Play with 3 central defenders and they're much more prone to be subbed on or off than your 2 in a back 4. Goalies never come off even if plenty would have cheered that last night. If you didn't sub off a centre back it would leave 7 outfielders to use the subs up on each game. We're hardly ever taking Bruno off either.

In theory, if you have everyone fit you're going to be carrying 5 or 6 centre backs in a squad playing this formation so you're going to want to give everyone a bit of game time.

There's only been 6 games out of 32 so far when he hasn't subbed off a central defender and he's taken 2 off quite a few times.

 

[Olecurls99]

The only plausible thing I can think of is he wanted to give Lindelof enough appearances so he could collect a medal if we win the whole thing.

And he did start the attack that led to our goal

What exactly would Maguire have done differently there? Lacazette is very tricky and he released it as soon as he receives it.

What was Lindelof supposed to do?

 

[Raoul]

And he did start the attack that led to our goal

What exactly would Maguire have done differently there? Lacazette is very tricky and he released it as soon as he receives it.

What was Lindelof supposed to do?

I didn't suggest Lindelof made any mistakes. Just curious why he was brought on given that he hasn't played much and Maguire has been an asset in attack.

 

[RedSky]

Trying to analysis either of our goals conceded is redundant anyway when a semi competent keeper would save both shots.

 

[Olecurls99]

I didn't suggest Lindelof made any mistakes. Just curious why he was brought on given that he hasn't played much and Maguire has been an asset in attack.

Fair enough. It is strange to see a centre back changed then alright

 

[Big Ben Foster]

The only plausible thing I can think of is he wanted to give Lindelof enough appearances so he could collect a medal if we win the whole thing.

I don't think that's a thing in UEFA competitions. If you're in the registered squad, you get a medal.

 

[tjb]

We’re good at centre back especially left sided as we’ve got Heaven, Martinez when he’s back, Shaw when fit and Kukonki coming through who Amorim is known to love then we’ve also got Yoro, Maguire, De Ligt, Mazraoui and also Louis Jackson who was on the fringes of the first team last year so unless we bring a centre back in on a free like Tah or Egan-Riley at Burnley I think we’re good.

Fully agree with the rest as a goalkeeper and a striker are absolute necessities as Onana is a fecking liability that spreads fear into our defence and Hojlund just doesn’t have any natural movement or instinct to be a PL striker so both should be moved on, lots of interest in Italy in Hojlund apparently and Onana should just be moved on to whoever will take him.

Osimhen and Cunha whilst expensive would be the dream for the striker and attacking midfield roles, Frimpong has a £35 million release clause so is a no brainer at right wing back and I’d bring Gomes back as he’s a decent creative midfield squad option to replace Eriksen but if Casemiro was to go he’d need replacing unless Kone is ready.

I agree with you. I think Yoro is going to be something special and when fit, really seems to be coming into his own. I also like De Ligt, Mazraoui, Heaven, Maguire and Martinez. I'd sell Shaw if possible and use that money to fund a right wing back, with Dalot as a backup.

For the keeper position, if possible, I'd sell Onana, and look to sign two keepers at really cheap costs that are solid. I personally believe we can find decent keepers in a lot of places. The injuries to Neuer and Courtois prove how simple that position should be to fill. A strong physical keeper that can command his box and make decent saves. For me, Onana has proven that the ball-playing keeper idea is overrated.

In midfield, we have a big decision to make. For me, its the most important position to fill. We need someone that can pick up the ball from the defence. The question we have to answer is whether they should be more offensive or defensive. I'm leaning towards signing a defensive midfielder that can bring the ball out of defence, but also has enough offensive attributes to partner Ugarte when we want to. I see Bruno as a central midfielder in this system, who can occupy one of the 10 positions in bigger games when we need more solidity in midfield. Ugarte would then occupy the Nicky Butt/Fletcher role, where he can start in big games or away games. Collyer and Kone can also back up these positions.

In attack, I like Amad and Mount, but I think we need to sell Garnacho and may need to sell Mainoo if he doesn't show he can play in one of the no.10 positions. Mainoo could be the solution to the second no.10 position next to Amad if he can show that he has the creativity, touch and intensity to play there. If he shows this, I don't think we need a no.10. I think signing a striker is more important. At present, I don't trust the shooting or heading ability of any of our striker options. As Zirkzee can cover one of the no.10 positions occassionally, can score from a header and seems to get into better positions in the box, I would keep him and sell Hojlund. In terms of profile, due to use only employing 3 attackers, our striker should be a player that can create attacks for themselves through dribbling and holding up abilities. The system requires athleticism as well to help the press. Garnacho would partly fund the striker.

In summary, I would sign:

GK
RWB
DM/CM
ST

If we sell Mainoo, then I'd look at signing an athletic dribbling no.10 similar in profile to Amad

 

[DSG]

He definitely won't do it right before our biggest game. Goalkeepers are rarely dropped. We might sell and replace though, just no idea for who.

It’s really a tightrope that he has to walk. Of course, showing loyalty helps keep the support of the dressing room. On the other hand, not holding players accountable for performances is also unacceptable.

If I were him, I’d drop Onana and Hojlund. I just think there has been a pretty clear pattern of poor performances and even if it makes you slightly worse on the day, for those squad members to see an opportunity to play first team minutes is valuable. Also, if they perform well, they should keep their place.

 

[DSG]

Because Collyer is not ready to play meaningful games. As of now he's a bit part player. Casemiro is 33 so logic would dictate you wouldn't depend on someone that age to be a key player either.

Mount and Kobbie can play there too. I doubt we’ll buy a CM. Striker and RWB and another 10 have much more priority IMHO.

*Edit* also a goalkeeper!!!!!

 

[DSG]

I agree with you. I think Yoro is going to be something special and when fit, really seems to be coming into his own. I also like De Ligt, Mazraoui, Heaven, Maguire and Martinez. I'd sell Shaw if possible and use that money to fund a right wing back, with Dalot as a backup.

For the keeper position, if possible, I'd sell Onana, and look to sign two keepers at really cheap costs that are solid. I personally believe we can find decent keepers in a lot of places. The injuries to Neuer and Courtois prove how simple that position should be to fill. A strong physical keeper that can command his box and make decent saves. For me, Onana has proven that the ball-playing keeper idea is overrated.

In midfield, we have a big decision to make. For me, its the most important position to fill. We need someone that can pick up the ball from the defence. The question we have to answer is whether they should be more offensive or defensive. I'm leaning towards signing a defensive midfielder that can bring the ball out of defence, but also has enough offensive attributes to partner Ugarte when we want to. I see Bruno as a central midfielder in this system, who can occupy one of the 10 positions in bigger games when we need more solidity in midfield. Ugarte would then occupy the Nicky Butt/Fletcher role, where he can start in big games or away games. Collyer and Kone can also back up these positions.

In attack, I like Amad and Mount, but I think we need to sell Garnacho and may need to sell Mainoo if he doesn't show he can play in one of the no.10 positions. Mainoo could be the solution to the second no.10 position next to Amad if he can show that he has the creativity, touch and intensity to play there. If he shows this, I don't think we need a no.10. I think signing a striker is more important. At present, I don't trust the shooting or heading ability of any of our striker options. As Zirkzee can cover one of the no.10 positions occassionally, can score from a header and seems to get into better positions in the box, I would keep him and sell Hojlund. In terms of profile, due to use only employing 3 attackers, our striker should be a player that can create attacks for themselves through dribbling and holding up abilities. The system requires athleticism as well to help the press. Garnacho would partly fund the striker.

In summary, I would sign:

GK
RWB
DM/CM
ST

If we sell Mainoo, then I'd look at signing an athletic dribbling no.10 similar in profile to Amad

Agree with most of this, but I think our CM situation is pretty good. Mount, Mainoo, Casemiro, Ugarte, Bruno, Collyer can all play there. Maybe a young 18/19 yr old from South America (cheap) as a punt?

I actually would like another 10. Garnacho is a winger at heart and you really force him into trying to do things he’s not particularly good at there. Bruno and Amad, sure, but putting Amad at RWB and bringing in another 10 would be preferable.

 

[DSG]

Amorim has said again and again he thinks Mainoo's strengths are closer to the opponent box. In his last 4-5 appearances he's played as a 10 (or false 9 against Palace). I don't think his future is as a CM, especially not in Amorim's system.

In any case it would be crazy to go into the next season without a new CM. A CF, CM and #10 should be our transfer priorities. A GK too ideally but we know Onana isn't gonna leave.

For me, priority #1, #2 and #3 is striker. Lack of quality 9 play is killing us. Our ball progression is better, our possession is better, but the combination of lack of finishing and just poor / wrong runs into the box, poor understanding of spacing, poor hold up play, consistently losing duels, it’s just devastating. I actually think that we need two strikers, one a top class striker, cost be damned, and another younger striker with promise. Sell Hojlund. Sell Garnacho. Sell Rashford. Sell Antony.

 

[bosnian_red]

It’s really a tightrope that he has to walk. Of course, showing loyalty helps keep the support of the dressing room. On the other hand, not holding players accountable for performances is also unacceptable.

If I were him, I’d drop Onana and Hojlund. I just think there has been a pretty clear pattern of poor performances and even if it makes you slightly worse on the day, for those squad members to see an opportunity to play first team minutes is valuable. Also, if they perform well, they should keep their place.

Hojlund is an easy drop as we have better options, that's a no brainer.

Onana is a hard one. People want Altay just because he's not Onana, but he's not actually a better goalkeeper. So you are dropping in the hope Altay plays with more confidence. So if he doesn't, then you have 2 goalkeepers whose confidence is broken beyond return as you're going back and forth, rather than showing faith that they'll get back into form. Onana is capable of good form, he's just inconsistent as feck. We still have stuff to play for, so Amorim definitely won't take the risk with Onana

 

[DSG]

Hojlund is an easy drop as we have better options, that's a no brainer.

Onana is a hard one. People want Altay just because he's not Onana, but he's not actually a better goalkeeper. So you are dropping in the hope Altay plays with more confidence. So if he doesn't, then you have 2 goalkeepers whose confidence is broken beyond return as you're going back and forth, rather than showing faith that they'll get back into form. Onana is capable of good form, he's just inconsistent as feck. We still have stuff to play for, so Amorim definitely won't take the risk with Onana

I think the narrative is that Onana is a better keeper, but actually, we don’t know if we’re a better team with him between the sticks. Is he a better shot stopper than Altay? I don’t know. Communicator? No idea. Better on set pieces? He’s not been great. Distributor? Maybe…The point is, he’s not been good enough, has he? And it shouldn’t matter what the transfer fee was, his reputation, etc. He hasn’t been good enough, consistently. As a back up, frankly, to watch your squad mate fail time and again, yet no opportunity to prove yourself and step up is really difficult because if the starting 11 aren’t chosen due to merit and performances in training and matches, how are they selected?

There are way too many examples where the backup was perceived to be inferior to the starter, but ended up being the far superior player after given a chance. How can any of us say that Altay is in fact a worse keeper?

 

[JPRouve]

I didn't suggest Lindelof made any mistakes. Just curious why he was brought on given that he hasn't played much and Maguire has been an asset in attack.

Nowadays these seemingly strange decisions are based on trackers. Maguire was possibly in the red.

 

[Cathy Ferguson]

Agree with most of this, but I think our CM situation is pretty good. Mount, Mainoo, Casemiro, Ugarte, Bruno, Collyer can all play there. Maybe a young 18/19 yr old from South America (cheap) as a punt?

I actually would like another 10. Garnacho is a winger at heart and you really force him into trying to do things he’s not particularly good at there. Bruno and Amad, sure, but putting Amad at RWB and bringing in another 10 would be preferable.

Mount is no CM, and neither is Mainoo imho, since he is too slow. Casemiro is too old and Collyer is not good enough. Ugarte is decent but is not a creator. We have a quite weak CM but of course attack is even worse.

 

[FrankWhite]

We did play well. If not for Onana, we would have come away with a good away win in Europe.

Unpopular opnion: Onana's terrible performance masks the fact that we gave up a lot goal scoring chances which Lyon fluffed. Overall a draw was probably the fair result.

 

[FrankWhite]

Hojlund is an easy drop as we have better options, that's a no brainer.

Onana is a hard one. People want Altay just because he's not Onana, but he's not actually a better goalkeeper. So you are dropping in the hope Altay plays with more confidence. So if he doesn't, then you have 2 goalkeepers whose confidence is broken beyond return as you're going back and forth, rather than showing faith that they'll get back into form. Onana is capable of good form, he's just inconsistent as feck. We still have stuff to play for, so Amorim definitely won't take the risk with Onana

I think either Hojlund and Garnacho has to play, otherwise we'll have no threat in behind and teams will squeeze us with a high line.
I am open to trying Hojlund over Garnacho if can instruct hojlund to ignore the hold-up play and just run channels all day. The rest of the team should be good enough of to have us camped outsie the oppositions half.

I agree with your take on Altay. People seem to have forgetton his shocking performance against Spurs earlier this season.

I think the plan should be to stick with Onana for the rest of the season, hope for the best then get a new solution in the summer.

 

[MF1138]

The plan has to be to give Bayindir a chance to fail. Onana has had his and grabbed it with both hands (about the only thing he hasn't fumbled recently). Onana has proven he's not the answer time and time and time again. He should be dropped at the very least to show that constant under performance mean losing your place. We've tried sticking by him, it hasn't worked, maybe a kick up the arse might have some effect.

 

[Stig]

I thought in the last 10 minutes or so of the match , when it opened up, we looked quite good going forward quickly some nice passes and good movement. It broke down when we got into their box, but from deep to the box is was as good as I've seen for a long time.

We will improve higher up the pitch when Amad comes back.

 

[moodyred]

No issues with him defending players in public. I just hope he’s got different views away from the cameras.

I think he will take a different approach off camera. Initially, he tried to defend Rashford publicly too. He probably wanted to work with him, until Rashford went public wanting a transfer. That's when he got shelved.

 

[giggs-beckham]

Maybe we should sub the manager for the return game

 

[Olecurls99]

I think either Hojlund and Garnacho has to play, otherwise we'll have no threat in behind and teams will squeeze us with a high line.
I am open to trying Hojlund over Garnacho if can instruct hojlund to ignore the hold-up play and just run channels all day. The rest of the team should be good enough of to have us camped outsie the oppositions half.

I agree with your take on Altay. People seem to have forgetton his shocking performance against Spurs earlier this season.

I think the plan should be to stick with Onana for the rest of the season, hope for the best then get a new solution in the summer.

Yep makes sense.

Bayindir had a bad performance - don't play again

Onana has numerous bad performances - keep giving him chances

 

[Marwood]

The biggest improvement would be playing more football in the opposition half.

We play far too much in our own third and most of our problems stem from that.

Amorim has made comments along those lines so I'm hopeful that change is the plan. But then in reality I watch us knocking it side to side across the back five constantly and then going long.

The CM's are borderline redundant at times because of it.

Would new CM's solve that or is that just a feature of his football?

 

[United666]

Can only blame Onana for so long before responsibility then falls on the manager for continually selecting him.

Bayindir hasn’t played a minute since his man of the match performance against Arsenal, that is an insane choice from the manager. He’s had a couple of niggles, but he’s also been on the bench plenty, so he has been available.

You don’t improve standards at the club by rewarding brilliant performances with time on the bench in favour of someone who time and time again has shown he’s a complete liability.

 

[Cathy Ferguson]

The biggest improvement would be playing more football in the opposition half.

We play far too much in our own third and most of our problems stem from that.

Amorim has made comments along those lines so I'm hopeful that change is the plan. But then in reality I watch us knocking it side to side across the back five constantly and then going long.

The CM's are borderline redundant at times because of it.

Would new CM's solve that or is that just a feature of his football?

A combination of poor CMs and poor wingbacks.

 

[Herschel Krustofsky]

Unpopular opnion: Onana's terrible performance masks the fact that we gave up a lot goal scoring chances which Lyon fluffed. Overall a draw was probably the fair result.

Sensible opinion actually, the late goals both ways just make it difficult for some to handle emotionally - there's a lot of lashing out and silly invective flying around a a result.

 

[dubplate warrior]

The biggest improvement would be playing more football in the opposition half.

We play far too much in our own third and most of our problems stem from that.

Amorim has made comments along those lines so I'm hopeful that change is the plan. But then in reality I watch us knocking it side to side across the back five constantly and then going long.

The CM's are borderline redundant at times because of it.

Would new CM's solve that or is that just a feature of his football?

That requires better progressive passers and ball carriers.

We need a midfielder who can progress the ball better than the ones we have. It's why I'm not really a fan of Ugarte.

 

[Gabriel Djemba-Bebe]

A combination of poor CMs and poor wingbacks.

Amorim knew wing backs would be integral to his system so he signed Dorgu, who offers very little attacking-wise. I don't get it.

 

[Nevilles.Wear.Prada]

Amorim knew wing backs would be integral to his system so he signed Dorgu, who offers very little attacking-wise. I don't get it.

Also somebody need to inform him that playing 5 defenders every game is not mandatory but actuallyì optional.

 

[Gabriel Djemba-Bebe]

Also somebody need to inform him that playing 5 defenders every game is not mandatory but actuallyì optional.

If he was 15 years older, a lot of people would be calling him stubborn dinosaur for only knowing one formation and refusing to deviate from it.

 

[Nevilles.Wear.Prada]

If he was 15 years older, a lot of people would be calling him stubborn dinosaur for only knowing one formation and refusing to deviate from it.

Most people assume giving him enough time will make his formation work and that nobody can crack the formation ever. Because with him there is no other alternative. We are doomed if his tactics gets found out, even if it begins to work. Scary thought isnt it.

 

[hellhunter]

Most people assume giving him enough time will make his formation work and that nobody can crack the formation ever. Because with him there is no other alternative. We are doomed if his tactics gets found out, even if it begins to work. Scary thought isnt it.

It's a formation, they don't really get found out.

 

[Tosicsleftpeg]

We have improved as a whole, our squad isn't very good but bit by bit we are building. That's all I've wanted, gradual progression. I can see it working and performances improving. Nowhere near perfect but you can see the cogs turning.

 

[roseguy64]

Feel so bad for the guy, you can tell he’s a top manager and is improving the team bit by bit but there’s only so much you can do with the shite we’ve got in this squad. You can’t account for the clown show we witness on a regular basis from our “No.1 keeper” and then the complete lack of firepower going forward. This summer transfer window is absolutely vital for him, just such a shame he won’t be afforded a similar transfer budget that lesser managers have gotten in the past.

No, that's not fully apparent. Jury still out on him.

 

[AR87]

Amorim knew wing backs would be integral to his system so he signed Dorgu, who offers very little attacking-wise. I don't get it.

He created 2 clear cut goal chances in this match. I'm not saying he's Roberto Carlos, but if you don't think he's adding anything attacking wise you're just ignoring real in-match events.

 

[KStandBarmyArmy1993]

No, that's not fully apparent. Jury still out on him.

Yep. This has what been driving me mad over the last 5 months.

He's done nothing to prove that things will work out any different.

He still deserves the summer and a new transfer window but the pressure will be on him post September if things next season don't start well.