Gary Neville told Monday Night Football that Manchester United’s thrilling 4-4 draw with Bournemouth finally got Ruben Amorim’s system “on point”, but the head coach was left frustrated again after seeing his side “lose focus” after giving up the lead three times at Old Trafford.
Amorim appeared to have left the side of his trademark 3-4-3 formation, at least from the kick-off against the Cherries, and watched his team rack up more first-half shots than any Premier League team this season has managed in a single game.
Before the game there were doubts over whether he would ditch the system completely for the first time in his professional managerial career – and before kick-off he had suggested that tactical flexibility would be needed in the face of losing players at the African Cup of Nations, despite repeatedly adhering to a strict regime – but there was a new sense of fluidity not previously seen in the United side.
Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher reminded him of Sir Alex Ferguson’s old Manchester United teams, while Neville said early in the game: “Manchester United’s defense works like a back four, but sometimes they slip into a back five.”
“But Ruben Amorim certainly did something different here tonight. Maybe Lenny Yolo is coming towards Antoine Semenyo.”
When Gary Neville first commented on Ruben Amorim’s gameplan, Man United looked unconventionally average.
With the hosts leading 3-2 in the second half, Amorim switched to a clear four-man defence, with Luke Shaw and Diogo Dalot at full-back, Amad Diallo and Matheus Cunha flanking Brian Mbeumo, and substitute Benjamin Sesco in the attack.
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Free to watch: Premier League highlights of Manchester United vs. Bournemouth
“We’ve criticized Amorim for not having a proper system and being stubborn about his system on the pitch, but he’s got it right in this period of the game,” Neville said.
“We have the players we want on the pitch: Amad on the right, Mbeumo and Sesco up front, Cunha on the left, Mainu and Fernandes as the midfield pair, and the back four.”
“I have no more excuses.”
However, although United played well, they continued to be unable to maintain their lead and Eli Crupi Jr.’s equalizer in the 84th minute meant they conceded two more points. This means they have missed out on 10 points this season, which is enough to put them at the top of the Premier League.
Speaking to Sky Sports before kick-off, Amorim implored his players to show more consistency in their matches, but said he felt a sense of deja vu at full-time despite moving up to sixth in the table.
He said: “Today’s performance was different from the last two games at home so we need to concentrate.
“That’s also what we’re focusing on. It’s completely different. The result is the same. It’s frustrating at certain points, but the performance is different.”
“We lost concentration and they scored two goals. But we managed to get back into the game. We scored two goals again and we have to finish the game.”
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Amorim described the 4-4 draw with Bournemouth as an “enjoyable game” but felt Manchester United should have won the game after coming back to take the lead late on.
“We need to stay calm and think about finishing the game so we don’t lose again. There were a lot of good things, but there were also a lot of things we needed to work on.
“Sometimes we don’t win games because of the details, because it’s the back four, the back three, the back five. It’s the details that we need to work on and we need to understand the momentum of the game.
“We have to be more clinical because today we played against a very good team and we created a lot of chances to win the game.”
Carla: The first half was Amorim’s best at Old Trafford.
Jamie Carragher was similarly unimpressed with Manchester United’s defense, but felt that the quality of their attack, especially before half-time, was as good as he had seen from Amorim’s teams in his 59 games since joining the club.
“Manchester United’s first half play under Amorim was the best I have ever seen,” he said. “Especially the first 25 to 30 minutes were great.
“It was almost a throwback to Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United, where Gary Neville played. Fast attacking football, people energetic, running forward, aggressive, getting on the front foot, winning the ball back early. There was a lot of that.”
Regarding the club’s continued lack of clean sheets, Amorim’s clean sheet rate is the seventh worst in Premier League history, Carragher said: “It’s a big problem for them. Last season they had problems at both ends of the pitch.
Amorim’s clean sheet rate is the seventh worst among Premier League managers who have managed at least 40 games.
“Before the game I emphasized that their attacking ability has improved and we saw that again tonight. I thought Manchester United’s attacking players were great.”
“We had a lot of young defenders tonight, but they didn’t help us. I was there too, and when young defenders make a mistake, it often goes into the back of the goal. That was the mistake tonight.”
“Even though the game ended 4-4 and Bournemouth should have won in the end, Manchester United were the much better team. It’s been a long time and certainly the first time I felt like I was seeing what Manchester United should be under Amorim.”
“We just keep attacking and counter-attacking and most opponents feel like they’re being sucked into the box in front of the Stretford End and they can’t get out.”
