Ruben Amorim promised Manchester United fans would see “an idea” at Portman Road.
Amorim delivered on that promise and the fans who made the trip to East Anglia saw his plan up close for the first time, with United lining up in a 3-4-3 formation.
Erik ten Hag was criticised for failing to bring an identity to United but you didn’t need a degree in football analytics to work out what Amorim was attempting against Ipswich Town.
Amad started as the right wing-back and Diogo Dalot started on the left. The positives and negatives of playing a winger as a wing-back were on show in the first half of the game, with Amad starring in the opening goal but being caught out defensively on another occasion.
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Amad did brilliantly to create Marcus Rashford’s goal after just 80 seconds, bursting down the right and beating a man before crossing for Rashford.
The new system worked nicely in the opening exchanges. The wing-backs were particularly important as United looked to find Amad and Dalot whenever they won possession.
Alejandro Garnacho was on Dalot’s side and Amorim was in the youngster’s ear throughout the first half, dishing out instructions and reminding him of the nuances of his position.
It didn’t take long to realise Amad’s momentum hadn’t been disrupted by the international break and he seemed to be excelling at right wing-back, a role he was playing for the first time in his career, until he was caught out by a ball over his head, which led to a huge Ipswich chance.
Amad mucked in defensively but his lack of experience in the role was exploited by Sammie Szmodics, who easily beat him in the box and picked out striker Liam Delap.
Delap’s shot was powerful but was somehow stopped by Andre Onana. Amad was thankful to the goalkeeper and it was a reminder of what he’s got to learn.
Amad has never played as a wing-back and will need to adapt to thrive in Amorim’s system, however, he has the attributes needed to become a success as a wing-back.
Amorim, speaking in his pre-match press conference, admitted it’s more difficult to usher in a new system at a club when you take over during the season but his impact was clear to see on Sunday evening.
Even when United won games with Ten Hag in charge, they rarely delivered convincing, stylish performances and they often gave the impression they were just getting by.
The bottom line is Ten Hag spent over £400million in two-and-a-half years at Old Trafford yet failed to deliver a clear style of play. Amorim has overseen just six training sessions at Carrington – some of those were without several senior players – and yet an identity was seen against Ipswich.
That can only bode well for the future. Amorim has inherited a struggling side and had limited time on the training pitch during the international break. The players were operating in his system for the first time against Ipswich and there were positives to take considering the circumstances.
Luke Shaw also made his first appearance for United since February 18. The defender has experience of playing in a back-three for England and could become a key player again.
Amorim made multiple changes in the second half and Shaw was introduced on the left side of the three-man defence, suggesting that his future under Amorim could be in that role.
The Amorim era is here and while there will be bumps in the road along the way, United’s new head coach has given the team an identity and it should only grow stronger with time.
