Manchester United struggled against Arsenal but there are signs Ruben Amorim understands the job ahead of him

LONDON — Of course Manchester United were going to lose. They didn’t have the players. They didn’t have time to drill a new system. Above all, they were without the most intimidating weapon in any Premier League team’s arsenal – the palpable sense of dread that engulfs any defense when Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka step up to take a corner. The longer the walk, the longer the fear.

A slightly lukewarm start from Arsenal might have raised hopes of a boisterous finish away from home, but United still lacked the ability to convert possession into deep, consistent pressure on David Raya’s goal. His new coach’s track record suggests that will happen.

The most encouraging thing about the first weeks of Ruben Amorim’s tenure is that he, more than any other successor to Alex Ferguson, understands that time is needed. Hearing a Manchester United manager talk about how his team is destined to “get caught in a few games” ahead of one of English football’s decisive showdowns is nothing short of a sea change. There is no shame in approaching these games as a learning exercise. Ultimately, the data collected tonight should be aimed at seeing how United will match Arsenal in 2025-26 and, realistically, beyond that.

“I prefer to learn by winning games,” Amorim said after the game. “That’s very clear. But I learned the same thing in the last 4-0 game. I learned a lot. I could see that we had a lot to improve. The same today, but I can take out some positive aspects, especially the strategy and the way they blocked” . the game.”

Adjustments will need to be made, and quick. Time is rarely given for a rebuild and Amorim cannot count on United to be as forgiving of him during “the storm” he spoke of yesterday as Arsenal were of Mikel Arteta. The next time they face a team as robust and noisy as Arsenal, they will need to adopt something more serious than a basic zonal marking system on corner kicks. The backline of Jurrien Timber and William Saliba were the main beneficiaries of a chaotic United defence, but Mikel Merino, Thomas Partey and Gabriel Martinelli will feel they should have converted in eight starts with a combined 1.68 expected goals value, the most high in the Premier League. this season.

Perhaps not surprising, given that Amorim quietly announced in his post-match press conference that assistant coach Carlos Fernandes would be responsible for dead balls instead of Andreas Georgson, the set-piece coach appointed by the old regime. . If there are going to be more passes from Joshua Zirkzee at the near post to Manuel Ugarte on the goal line, it would help if it wasn’t United’s goal line.

“Carlos is responsible for set pieces and other things,” Amorim said. “Andreas is also there to help. That’s all. If you follow the Premier League for a long time, you can see that.” [they are the best team in the Premier League for set pieces]. They also have great players for that.

“You can see every time Saka and Martinelli have one on one. Many times they come out, they cross. They know that if the cross goes well they can score. If it’s a corner, they can score. We have to improve in that situation, as in every area of ​​our game, we need time to improve.

However, what United did well was quite notable in open play. They would chase the ball into United’s half, but never in an arrogant manner. When William Saliba or Thomas Partey settled in with the ball at their feet, the blue shirts were not going to go crazy. Wait, block the angles and see if you can cause a mistake. With a heavy-legged Partey, perhaps still injured, that didn’t seem like a bad idea.

When their opponents managed to advance upfield, United were ready. A row of five, a row of four, a precious little space between them. Even this Martin Odega-certified Arsenal were having all sorts of problems manipulating the ball into the spaces they wanted. More than once, Bukayo Saka would attempt one of those give-and-takes down the right flank that so agitate defenses only to see his pass meet a United toe before Odegaard and Jurrien Timber. They may have claimed a third win in three, but in open play Arsenal rarely got going. That speaks to the diligence with which United accomplished its task.

“You could feel at the end of the first half in the stadium that they weren’t comfortable,” Amorim said. “We had one day to implement the strategy and they couldn’t handle it. Arsenal’s right side, with a lot of players there, we managed to control very well. The difference today was the set pieces.”

Much more work is needed in attack. United were left toothless in the final third, which featured one of the first breaks between Arsenal’s lines, with Alejandro Garnacho free to charge down the left. He had the pace to leave Jurrien Timber behind him. Instead, he opted to maintain possession, waiting for an overlapping run from the left wing channel. When that finally came, from Harry Maguire, the movement was dead. It’s the kind of wasted opening you often see in the early days under particularly system-heavy coaches. Like many of his contemporaries, Amorim doesn’t like to see an attack that isn’t fully built. Perhaps on this occasion Garnacho needed a little more freedom.

The way Garnacho got to that position is one of the most encouraging facets of this United performance. His ease under pressure was exemplified by Noussair Mazraoui, whose two-leggedness allowed him to draw Saka towards him and fire passes to either flank. His 11 progressive passes led both sides, some players like that at the start of their preparation and United look like a team that can draw teams in and play, creating the kind of rapier attacks that Amorim’s predecessor, Erik ten Hag, always aspired to. but I couldn’t implement it.

It is evident that Amorim is still in fact-finding mode. All the players who have scored for him in his three games have left the XI for the next game. With injuries hampering United, as they are almost every team in the league, it will surely be a while before a stronger team is established. When it is, you can be sure that Mazraoui will be there.

Others? Hmm. Any appearance fee owed to Mason Mount will undoubtedly be paid, but a player who was once understandably rated as the best-pressing attacking midfielder in the game was bullied in his duels and easily sent off by Oleksandr Zinchenko. Marcus Rashford and Joshua Zirkzee failed to offer any significant impact off the bench. Andre Onana is clearly a capable and fearless shot-stopper with the ball at his feet. A little fear may not be a bad thing if the alternative is making five separate passes to Arsenal players in your own half.

It was clear, even in the face of the huge imbalance of talent on the team sheets, that another rebuild awaits United. What Amorim needs to prove in the bigger games is that there are fragments to build on. As a starting point, four games into his tenure, this wasn’t bad at all. There is much work to be done, but it must be done by someone who understands that simple truth.