Gary Neville spots big problem in Ruben Amorim's Man Utd plan that everyone has missed
Two titles at Sporting CP have many fans thrilled at Ruben Amorim's appointment by Manchester United, but Gary Neville has identified a flaw in the set-up he could bring to the club
by Chris Burns · The MirrorGary Neville believes Ruben Amorim would have preferred becoming Manchester United boss next summer due to the intricacies of implementing his favoured back three.
United fans are excited by the 39-year-old's hiring after a tumultuous time under Erik ten Hag, where, despite two domestic cup successes, their league form was often called into question. However, club legend Neville has one major reservation about Amorim's preferred set-up, that those thrilled with the head coach's appointment may have overlooked.
It's believed that both Liverpool and Manchester City pivoted from electing to pursue Amorim due to the manager's penchant for using a back three. It's a style both clubs' hierarchies deemed an ill-fit for their current group of players.
While Neville shares the optimism over his imminent arrival, the ex-full-back isn't sure just how the current crop of defenders at United will cope with Amorim's defensive demands. His switch-up to a back three is now expected following several seasons under Ten Hag where United's defenders were asked to play in a four.
“You’re always optimistic about a new manager coming in," Neville said on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet. "I can see why he [Amorim] wanted the job next summer because he would rather have pre-season to implement the brand-new system. Those players have not played three at the back at all, some of them might never have played it.”
Under Ten Hag, United started almost 90 per cent of Premier League and European games using a 4-2-3-1 formation. However, they did not start any of the games in those competitions using a back three, according to Opta.
Speaking after his Sporting CP side thrashed City 4-1 in the Champions League this week, Amorim even voiced his doubt over translating his successful style with the Primeira Liga to his new employers. He also issued a warning to United fans that his set-up at Old Trafford may not be as robust as to what some fans are hoping for.
“We cannot transport one reality to another,” Amorim said. “United cannot play the way [Sporting] play — they cannot be so defensive… I’ll be living in a different world. We’ll have to start from a different point.”
Who could transition into that back three will be one of the problems Amorim must solve fast, should he insist on using his favoured style. Matthijs de Ligt and Harry Maguire have been suggested as options for Amorim's proposed defence, however speaking on Sky's Monday Night Football, former Liverpool centre-back Jamie Carragher isn't convinced.
"I can't see De Ligt or Maguire being in the wide centre-back positions because I don't think they would be able to cope." Carragher said. Leny Yoro, who has yet to make his debut in the Premier League due to injury, is a contender, as is the versatile Lisandro Martinez.
However, it's not unusual for some new managers adjusting to the Premier League to make drastic changes from their favoured systems. One famous example is how ex-Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp shifted from his 4-2-3-1 at Borussia Dortmund to find huge success at the Reds using a 4-3-3.
Regardless of who Amorim opts for, Neville is of the opinion that the deliberation over United's defence isn't the only issue facing United's new head coach. The 49-year-old believes Amorim also needs to address problems that currently have United playing like underdogs - which include how retreated they play and their ongoing struggle with possession when it counts.
"It was sober reading about how high Manchester United play up the pitch," Neville said on his Sky Sports podcast. "When I looked at the average start distance of the teams up the pitch, Manchester City are first, Arsenal second, Liverpool third, Tottenham fourth and Brighton are fifth. Manchester United are down in 10th.
"If you want to push your defence up the pitch, which is what I think every team looks to do nowadays, Amorim has got to start with that because Manchester United quite often have to travel 70, 80 yards to score a goal because they're so deep and they play like the underdog in games.
"The other metric was possession in the final third. So possession won high up the pitch: first was Manchester City, second was Tottenham, third was Arsenal and fourth was Liverpool. Manchester United are ninth."
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