Ruben Amorim’s first game against Manchester United: emotions, ideas and ‘too much thinking’

Ruben Amorim spent the final seconds of his first game urging his new team to move the ball forward quickly in the hope of a late winner. Instead, Amad and Noussair Mazraoui took turns in midfield, so danger for Ipswich Town was still a long way off when referee Anthony Taylor blew the whistle.

It was a symbolic end to Amorim’s England debut, with players struggling to respond to demands for more. Amad and Mazraoui have been two of United’s best players this season and each has commendably played a different role at Ipswich, but there were just as many questions at the end of the game as there were before kick-off about this team’s suitability for Amorim’s system.

Afterwards, Amorim said United might find short-term success by sticking with a formation familiar to the players, but tearing the plaster off now would have long-term benefits.

It had only taken 81 seconds for the “idea” he had promised to become reality. From the back to Mazraoui at right centre-back and Amad at right wing-back, United smashed through Ipswich with aggression and quality.

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Amad’s one-two with Bruno Fernandes cleared the pitch, and as he passed two Ipswich players, United had three players in the penalty area, with Marcus Rashford the goalscorer, supported by Alejandro Garnacho and Diogo Dalot, the full-back on the other side. This is Amorim’s vision and he highlighted it in the post-match press conference.

But that was as good as it got.

A lot of that was down to Ipswich’s comeback and it’s hard to imagine the equivalent team would have the same reaction in Portugal against Amorim’s Sporting CP.

That is the strength of the Premier League and a particular credit to Kieran McKenna, who led Ipswich to back-to-back promotions and was approached by United in the initial search for Erik ten Hag’s successor around the FA Cup final.

McKenna admitted Ipswich were unsure how United would line up even after the team documents arrived, specifically pointing to Garnacho or Amad at full-back, but he and his team figured out how to respond. Ipswich caused a stir in a passage when United had tried to do everything right. Rashford sprinted to press, Christian Eriksen quickly followed and Jonny Evans pushed high to Omari Hutchinson as the ball was played up. But Hutchinson turned Evans and Ipswich eventually got a cross into the box.

Hutchinson turned Evans again later in the half and this duel seemed to prompt Amorim to swap Eriksen for Casemiro after less than 15 minutes to put the Brazilian on the defensive. In the second half, after Hutchinson equalized, Amorim sent Luke Shaw on a mission to cover the Ipswich winger, who at one point even crossed over to the opposition flank.

Amorim also swapped Fernandes for Garnacho at the break and tried to figure out which combinations would work best. Fernandes dropped deeper when Joshua Zirkzee was brought on, but Amorim seemed unhappy with his precise positioning and shouted instructions.

The Portuguese coach made his feelings clear. He often crouched to watch the game at close range and when Eriksen fell behind early on at an Ipswich break, Amorim turned to his bench with his hands folded and prayed about how easily the spaces had opened up Midfield. He will have received information about the value of having Casemiro and Eriksen competing in a high intensity competition.

Amorim during the draw against Ipswich (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

Amorim was pleased with how his players handled the formation change after two training sessions together – some of his starting line-up decisions were thanks to those he spent longer with during the international break – but admitted he was “scared” in a few moments.

“They were thinking too much during the game, sometimes we had the ball in defense and the rest of the guys had to think about where they should be. When you create a new structure, they need some time to make their game fluid.”

Amad at full-back was a mixed bag. His persistence in quick dribbling gave United the goal, but in the first half he was overtaken defensively by Jens Cajuste’s long ball behind him to Ipswich left-back Leif Davis, who set up Liam Delap’s great chance. Andre Onana’s save spared United and Amad learned in the second half and managed to stay alert and fight for the ball when Sam Morsy tried the same trick against Davis.

But Amad spent much of those 45 minutes at full-back, hardly in the areas for which he is best equipped. His only attacking attempt came in stoppage time, at the end of a sequence in which Amorim had implored his players to cross the ball rather than pass on the edges. Zirkzee’s apparent ambivalence about going into the box to provide a point of reference undermined Amorim’s demands. In the end, Amad took the initiative and dribbled brilliantly into the box but saw his shot blocked.

(Darren Staples/AFP via Getty Images)

Amorim needed a drink from his water bottle as Zirkzee fired a long-range shot well over the goal and sympathy was in short supply from the center forward at the other end. Delap’s physical condition was a problem for United. He was lucky to avoid a yellow card for injuring Evans and then throwing Mazraoui to the ground – with protests from assistant Adelio Candido, coach Andreas Georgson and Shaw to the fourth official – but it was the kind of performance , which left one wondering whether United had really made themselves a better option, assuming Rasmus Hojlund had a good inaugural season last year.

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Delap’s attack on Matthijs de Ligt in midfield, his ball onto the wing with the outside of his boot and his backheel finish on the subsequent cross were an example of great striker play. Analyst Eduardo Rosalini, who joined Amorim after his visa was approved and sat in the stands next to Darren Fletcher, will have seen it in all its glory. Fitness trainer Paulo Barreira, sitting in the dugout, had an earpiece to communicate with those upstairs.

Carlos Fernandes, considered Amorim’s No.2, was also vocal during the game and made an impression on the players already at Carrington. Amorim hopes that this influence can lead to significant change over time.

(Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)