The skies above Old Trafford aren’t looking as grey and gloomy as they once were. Level on points with Chelsea and just three points off the Champions League places, maybe they were right to stand by Amorim rather than give up on the Portuguese coach.
United 1-0 win over Newcastle on Boxing Day wasn’t pretty, but it felt like a turning point as Amorim’s side showed a more resilient side we’ve not seen too much of since he took charge just over a year ago.
So, have Man United finally turned a corner, can Amorim stop going on about how much they need to ‘suffer’ and can the fans FINALLY expect some brighter days?
Small tweaks to his system
Amorim isn’t as resistant to change as many might think, he has consistently spoken about how he will tweak his system once he feels his players are comfortable with the 3-4-3. He just does interviews with Gary Neville every three days, so it gets lost in the noise.
“When you think about the impact that any decision is going to have on the team, everything is important. I am doing things my way and some guys do it in a different way. But it will change. I hope to have the time to change, but it will change,” he said back in September.
He’s clearly starting to feel like his players are getting the hang of things, as there have been major changes to the shape while in possession for the games against Bournemouth and now Newcastle.
For the game against Bournemouth, Amad Diallo stayed higher up the pitch to provide more of a goal threat while fellow wing-back Diogo Dalot stayed back. It wasn’t exactly a back four, but it was close enough.
It was a similar kind of deal against Newcastle. With Diallo away at Afcon, goal scorer Patrick Dorgu was the one tasked with being higher up the pitch, with Matheus Cunha drifting inside to make it look more like a 4-2-3-1 at times.
Where we can really see the difference is out of possession. Man United now defend in a back four, against Newcastle, it was very clearly a 4-2-3-1, with Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte limiting Bruno Guimaraes impact and Luke Shaw and Diogo Dalot acting as traditional full backs.
Which players are stepping up?
Even on an individual level, Man United players seem to have stopped the frustrating mistakes that would so often cost them games. In fact, United look more cohesive in every way.
It all starts with their previously much maligned midfield. Bruno Fernandes is somehow putting up similar numbers to when he was playing as a more attacking playmaker in the number ten role, with five goals and seven assists in his 17 games, although he missed the game against Newcastle and is expected to be out until the end of January.
Casemiro has been so good this season even Jamie Carrgher has admitted he’s wrong. The Brazilian won’t be playing many full 90 minutes this season to protect his legs, but 34 tackles, 77 duels won, and 60 recoveries along with the clear leadership he brings is impressive.
Finally, we have Senne Lammens. It can’t be understated how important it is to have a goalkeeper that isn’t prone to throwing the ball in his own net like Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir (metaphorically) were.
He’s not been remarkable, but that’s fine, it’s not necessarily a bad thing not to be relying on your goalkeeper to keep you in a game. Zero errors leading to a goal is all United needed, and Lammens has provided just that.
Room for improvement?
Of course there is, United aren’t the finished article yet. Offensively, they’re one of the best in the league with an xG of 33.4, 50 big chances created, and 5.6 shots per 90 minutes, but the lack of impact from Benjamin Sesko or whomever plays up front is a worry.
If United were able to get the giant Slovenian more involved, or signed a Premier League proven striker, like an Ollie Watkins for example, there would be absolutely no reason they couldn’t be competing for a top four place or higher.
Verdict
Man United don’t look like the bunch of rudderless lads that lost to Grimsby a few months ago. Amorim has clearly used that extra time on the training ground well, and his side are starting to reap the benefits. So, yes, they have turned a corner.