caughtoffside
·25. November 2024
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·25. November 2024
Manchester United’s new manager Ruben Amorim believes he’s already seen a major improvement from young winger Amad Diallo as he made the transition to playing as a wing-back against Ipswich Town yesterday.
The Red Devils drew 1-1 at Portman Road for Amorim’s first game in charge, and there were certainly both positives and negatives to take from that game as the Portuguese tactician takes on the challenge of turning this disappointing season around.
Amorim clearly feels Diallo was a bright spark for Man Utd, though, with the 22-year-old doing well in an unfamiliar role, using his pace to good effect as he set up Marcus Rashford for the opening goal less than two minutes into the game.
As well as that, Amorim spoke afterwards about how much he’s seen Diallo improve defensively since working with him in training for just a few days.
See below for Amorim’s quotes from journalist Fabrizio Romano…
?? Rúben Amorim on Amad Diallo: “He was very good. In three days, he improved so much defensively”. “He was facing the left-back, he just had to follow him. He was so focused. He did a very good job”. pic.twitter.com/F22UhqpSBo — Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) November 24, 2024
Discussing Diallo’s display at wing-back, Amorim said: “He was very good. In three days, he improved so much defensively. He was facing the left-back, he just had to follow him. He was so focused. He did a very good job.”
Amorim made good use of a 3-4-3 formation at his former club Sporting Lisbon, but will he be able to get the best out of this current United squad with that system?
Ruben Amorim speaks with Amad Diallo after the Ipswich vs Man United game (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
In Diallo, there is perhaps hope that Amorim has some players who can adapt their game slightly to make these tactics work, but the truth is that it’s not a system that’s been used very much in the Premier League.
Chelsea under Antonio Conte are one notable exception, with the Italian tactician working wonders with that 2016/17 side, winning the Premier League title in his first year in charge.
For now, Amorim is probably just focusing on trying to get MUFC back into challenging for the top four, but it seems he’s firmly committed to making his tactical philosophy work.
In the long run, that should work out for the best, as he can work on it on the training ground and eventually make signings that also fit the system.