For two glorious minutes, it looked like Ruben Amorim was going to take charge of Manchester United and solve all their problems immediately when Marcus Rashford found the back of the net. But dropping points in the 1-1 draw against Ipswich Town shows the magnitude of the job Amorim will take on.
United immediately took to the field in Amorim’s usual 3-4-2-1, with Rashford having the opportunity to lead the line, and although he performed well, scoring and getting his only shot on goal, the problems that the United couldn’t really score. The ball remained for his forward. Rashford only received 13 touches and Bruno Fernades only created three chances against one of the worst defenses in the Premier League.
For teams that can control a game this wouldn’t be a big problem, but United are not in a position to do so, allowing Ipswich to take 11 shots and six on target. The Tractor Boys also had a chance to win the game through forward Liam Delap because this team hasn’t spent enough time with Amorim to get comfortable with his passing and defending. Luke Shaw’s return will be a boon for the Red Devils considering his passing skills as a left centre-back in a back three, and Amad Diallo also shined at full-back assisting Rashford’s goal.
These games can show Amorim who he can trust compared to where United will need to improve. The pivots of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen left a lot to be desired but there are other options in Mason Mount and Manuel Ugarte that can give Amorim a different look. With the next Europa League match facing Bodo/Glimt, Amorim will have another chance to see what his team can do in a clash where they will be favorites and can continue to instill Amorim’s ideals. It is difficult to change everything in just two training sessions and it could be a great period of adaptation for Erik ten Hag to Amorim.
“I know it’s frustrating for the fans, but we’re changing a lot right now with so many games,” Amorim said after the game. “We are going to suffer for a long period and we will try to win games, but this will take time.”
He also spoke of the struggle to instill his style on the fly and even during the international break he did not have the full team available to work with. In weeks like this, with two or three games in eight days, training can also be complicated. The plan is there for United to turn things around and some of the players are there too, but this is not something that can be fixed overnight.
He also had to deal with another aspect of Premier League life when Ipswich Town fan and co-owner Ed Sheeran interrupted his on-field post-match interview. Amorim was noticeably upset by Sheeran’s presence there after Ipswich took a point off Manchester United, but continued to finish the pitchside interview.
