Ahead of a tougher schedule after the international break, we will get to see whether Man Utd have actually turned a corner under Ruben Amorim.
Whilst it’s not form to be totally enthusiastic about, performances as Amorim himself said, have improved.
A resilience, fighting spirit and the fabulous form of Bruno Fernandes have given the Red Devils a much needed boost.
Whilst it’s clear playing Ipswich and Leicester are easier fixtures, a professional away performance against Real Sociedad coupled with a resounding win at Old Trafford and two battling performances vs Arsenal and Everton are performances to be encouraged by.
The next key step from now until the end of the season? Getting the team comfortable with Amorim’s principles.
You may say that’s what the team have been wanting to do since the Portuguese manager came in but Amorim has had to deal with a catalogue of injuries whilst juggling a busy schedule.
Whilst they are still in the Europa League and will have to deal with less days of rest, with more players available and Amorim knowing his side a little better, the hope is that in attack Man Utd can finally execute Amorim’s principles successfully.
What has happened for the majority of the season till now, is teams press Man Utd’s back three, press once the ball is played to a wide full-back, before a long hoof up the pitch results in the ball being turned over.
As Man Utd lost more games, confidence took a hit, but progressing to a Europa League quarter final and showing some vigour in the last few games will hopefully give the team a lift.
In Amorim’s rigid system, players need confidence and the need to be spontaneous to find solutions and grow over time.
In a similar vein to Lisandro Martinez before his injury, Amad Diallo or Bruno Fernandes in his deeper central midfield role.
The opposition will be stern.
An away trip to Nottingham Forest on Tuesday is followed by a Manchester Derby five days later before a tricky away tie to Lyon.
Newcastle, Bournemouth and Chelsea away are amongst the fixtures left.
It’s ironic that Man Utd might have a say in the Champions League race and could influence it with results against these teams because now up until the end of the season is still absolutely significant for the Red Devils to build momentum.
In December, Amorim lost 3 games out of 4 in the league.
The same happened in February as Man Utd lost to Crystal Palace, Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton.
There is simply no hiding when it comes to the Man Utd job, if a similar run happened again, regardless of what happens in the Europa League pressure will increase on Amorim heading into next season after the summer.
It doesn’t take long for the toxicity and negativity to engulf you, regardless of how well you speak in the media.
Losing in the league is never good, if the form from now till the end of the season was to tail off, you can imagine the mood deteriorating if Man Utd got off to a poor start next season.
What the fans and everyone working at Man Utd is desperate to see is the patterns of Amorim shining, working and the players executing his style of play well.
Controlling the ball for the majority of the game, but moving the ball quicker to find gaps wide for the full-backs leading to crosses in the box.
That’s what Amorim’s style of football typically is.
In the games vs Ipswich Town and Arsenal, Man Utd may have benefitted from the fact Arsenal struggle against a deep block and Patrick Dorgu getting himself sent off vs Ipswich meant Man Utd retreated to defend deeper for 50 minutes.
This isn’t the way Amorim wants to play, circumstances necessitated the switch in style.
There have been some grumblings amongst fans that Amorim should change his way of playing but INEOS knew when they hired the former Sporting CP manager, there is no plan B.
He’s very much a system/philosophy manager, so bringing him in during the winter, the busiest part of the season, gave him less time to implement his ideas with players that aren’t suited to the style he is used to.
It makes every league fixture from now until the end of the season crucial, because at the very least we may get to see what works and what doesn’t, as well as what Amorim might need in his first summer window as Man Utd manager.
Though the season has been nothing short of dreadful, Man Utd remain utterly compelling.
How well the Red Devils do in the remainder of the league fixtures may tell us whether the relationship between Amorim and Man Utd will work or not.
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Source: Centred Devils
