Since Amorim’s arrival, he has tried to get United to play his specific system, rarely straying from his philosophy.
By taking a system-first approach, Amorim looks for specific qualities in his players at each position, asking them to adapt to what he wants, rather than altering his system to suit the players at his disposal.
Looking at his system and what he wants from his midfielders can help explain how he will approach the coming months.
Amorim opts for a 3-2-4-1 system that does not depend on having the majority of the ball.
At the beginning of his tenure, Amorim was looking to play short, but admittedly he has opted to play long from the goalkeeper more often, which suits the players he has. This requires players capable of covering distances and winning second balls.
His team is also asked to carry out passing routines, and patterns of play often end in United’s midfielders passing over the top to attacking attackers running behind.
Therefore, the midfield duo must be able to fulfill these instructions.
Amorim’s preferred midfield duo, Casemiro and Fernandes, gives clues as to what he asks of his midfielders.
Casemiro’s role is stricter positionally: protecting the defense, interrupting play and moving up and down the field to shorten the distance between defense and attack when the ball is played long.
Fernandes has license to contribute in attack but, like Casemiro, has the ability to run hard up and down the pitch and return to defense when necessary.
Both players have a tendency to make direct passes to attackers running behind while making few touches in midfield, qualities that fit into Amorim’s tactical plan.
Therefore, the other options in midfield must fit either Casemiro or Fernandes’ roles, with Ugarte being the most likely backup to Casemiro, while Mount, Martínez and Mainoo possess some of the quality to do Fernandes’ job.
Given the constraints surrounding the African Cup of Nations and United’s injuries, the other option is for Amorim to modify his system.
This is not something he has done yet at Old Trafford but, when asked about the shortage of full-backs, he hinted that he might, depending “on the way we play that particular week, if we have to change for a back four, we change for a back four.”
The shortage of midfielders could force him in the same way.
If United move to four defenders and three in midfield, the player who would obviously benefit would be Mainoo.
The Englishman has had difficulties displacing Casemiro or Fernandes given the specific tactical demands that Amorim makes in this system. And the United boss believes Mainoo’s strengths and weaknesses are better suited to a midfield three.
“The problem is that we are playing with two [midfielders] and you see Kobbie in a different way than I’m seeing,” he said.
“Maybe if you play with three midfielders, not just two. But with three, Kobbie will have more minutes.”
