How Man United proved exactly why Ruben Amorim's grand plan is doomed in dreary loss to Spurs

There were times during Manchester United’s defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday when it was impossible to see exactly what Ruben Amorim’s plan was. For long stretches of the game, Spurs – a club who have plenty of their own problems - controlled not just possession and territory but the flow of the game. United were stifled, smothered, and seemingly lacking in direction.

The strange thing is that this is, fundamentally, the very same plan that Amorim has used since he arrived at Old Trafford, and the same strategy that was in place when he achieved considerable success at Sporting. At Manchester United, though, something has gone badly wrong.

Ruben Amorim is an idealogue whose grand plan isn’t working

The core issue seems to be the midfield. Amorim’s two-man system worked wonders at Sporting, with a pair of defensive players working in tandem to win possession and get the ball wide or forwards to the dual number tens. At United, however, they look overwhelmed.

It doesn’t help that injuries are forcing Amorim to improvise. Bruno Fernandes is a naturally attack-minded player but was pressed into service in a much deeper position alongside Casemiro with all other options unavailable – but even when United have had access to Kobbie Mainoo or Manuel Ugarte, the problems have persisted.

Against Spurs, Fernandes and Casemiro went long period without getting a toe-hold on the game. Ange Postecoglou’s three-man midfield ran rings around them in possession, with the extra man making life comfortable for James Maddison, Lucas Bergvall and Rodrigo Bentancur. There was always space and time for the next pass, always a man open and unmarked. United couldn’t get hold of the ball.

Whether it’s because the midfielders Amorim has access to aren’t suited to the specific task he requires them to perform, or whether they’re getting less support in forcing turnovers and applying pressure on the ball from the wing-backs and tens – and there is much less of that than there surely should be – this system simply isn’t working right now.

Amorim has proven to be an idealogue. He has attempted to transfer a tactical set-up which worked for him in Portugal onto his new team without adjusting it to the skill-set of the players at his disposal. He doesn’t have high-quality attacking wing-backs (although Patrick Dorgu may prove to be one) but still makes them the focus of possession going forward. He doesn’t have skilful ball-playing defenders who can carry the ball out from the back and start moves by themselves, but a back three remains the starting point.

Similarly, his midfielders lack the speed and ball-winning skills to be effective when the opposition has an extra man up against them, yet Amorim still proves resistant to change. Mainoo was outstanding in a three-man midfield prior to Amorim’s appointment, but too much is asked of him as the first line of defence (and too little asked of his ball-carrying skills going forward) to get the most out of him. Casemiro is past his prime and simply can’t cover as many blades of grass as he needs to. Ugarte is in and out of the side and lacking form and fitness.

The question is begged as to why Amorim can’t play with a different system – ideally a 4-3-3, given the make-up of the squad as it stands – for the time being, and institute his preferred 3-4-3 (or 3-4-2-1, if you prefer) once he’s been able to shape the squad to his requirements after a transfer window or two. His methods have been proven to work, but in trying to force them onto this squad he gives the impression of a manager hammering a square peg into a round hole without taking a step back and wondering if there isn’t an easier solution.

That in itself begs a follow-up question – why did Manchester United appoint a manager who insists on playing a style of play which doesn’t mesh with the players at their disposal? Surely, when discussions were taking place ahead of his appointment, they asked him about his tactical plans, and surely there must have been concerns from both sides of the discussion about how well his ideas and his squad would overlap.

It's an issue which has been thrown into even sharper focus by reports which suggest that United are in danger of running afoul of the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules, which will remain in place next season after top-flight clubs failed to agree on proposals to replace it. If United lack the funds to undertake a wholesale refit of the playing squad, why appoint a manager whose methods would require it?

That isn’t Amorim’s concern right now, of course – he’s here and has to make the most of what he has. Perhaps, with time, his players will get the hang of what he’s asking of them and adapt, but right now it’s hard to understand why he insists on pushing forward with an ideology which isn’t bearing fruit. Their performance in North London didn’t imply a team closing in on improvement, after all.

Old problems haunting a new coach

In failing to adapt his own ideas to the tools at his disposal and instead expecting an entire team to adapt to him, Amorim is likely making a mistake, and if results continue to be so poor then it may cost him his job – but pinning all the blame on him would be a mistake.

There were moments, during the rare occasions on which United were able to sustain a spell of possession and pressure, when you could see why Amorim’s system worked so well for Sporting. The angles from which the tens and wing-backs attack from did create space upfield and did pull defenders in different directions, especially when United managed to break at pace, which was admittedly all too rare.

The problem in the final third wasn’t one of space or opportunities – they had 16 shots on goal worth 1.52xG – but of composure and confidence when the chances came. Every time a United player got within shooting distance, they froze. Rasmus Højlund and Joshua Zirkzee looked bereft of confidence. Alejandro Garnacho blazed the best chance of the game horribly high when presented with a clean path through to Guglielmo Vicario. Almost every touch in and around the Tottenham penalty area spoke to a lack of conviction.

Ensuring that the players are sharp and brimming with self-belief is a part of the head coach’s remit, of course, but this is a problem that pre-dates Amorim by some distance. For years now, high-quality players have moved to Manchester United, regressed dramatically, limped along for a while and then moved on, often to flourish elsewhere.

One incidence of a player falling out with the coaches or having their attitude questioned would be unfortunate. When it keeps happening, it’s a much broader concern. United’s have a dressing room culture which has chewed up and spat out Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Jesse Lingard and more, while a player like Antony can be a laughing stock at the club only to instantaneously shine at Real Betis the moment he leaves.

Whatever is happening behind the scenes, it has long since filtered down to the players and festered. Good players come in and become swamped in self-doubt. Seemingly subpar players emerge blinking into the light and improve. Manchester United, meanwhile, continue to oscillate between the upper and lower bounds of mediocrity. It probably wasn’t Erik ten Hag’s fault, although the issues did seem to accelerate under his tenure – and it isn’t Amorim’s fault, either. But it is one more problem he has struggled to solve so far.

Selling half of the squad and signing new players in the summer – if the club can finagle the finances sufficiently well to be able to do so – might solve the first problem, the disconnect between coach and squad that was so evident once again on Sunday evening. But it wouldn’t necessarily solve the second, with the atmosphere among the players seemingly sullen regardless of who comes and who goes.

Perhaps Amorim will eventually be proven to be the right coach for one of English football’s less forgiving postings – but to succeed, he will need to figure out a way to blow new life into the club as well. Between poor results on the pitch, financial results and lay-offs off it and a leaky roof over their heads, however, it’s hard to feel a sea change.