Ruben Amorim’s tactics explained: The playing style of Manchester United’s new coach
Ruben Amorim will lead Manchester United for the first time this weekend in their Premier League match against Ipswich Town at Portman Road Stadium. He was recently announced to the footballing world as the club’s new head coach and will be on the sidelines this Sunday, having replaced Erik ten Hag. Amorim takes over from Ruud van Nistelrooy, who temporarily managed the team following Ten Hag’s dismissal.
Ruben Amorim’s Brief Coaching History
In just a few years of managing, Rúben Amorim has emerged as one of the most esteemed and in-demand young coaches in football. He began his career at Casa Pia in the Portuguese third division in 2018, and soon after, he was given his first significant role when Braga appointed him as the reserve-team manager. Only three months later, following the dismissal of Ricardo Sá Pinto, Amorim stepped up to lead Braga. This made him the manager of a club in a major European league at the young age of 34.
Amorim made a strong impression during his 13 matches in charge, winning 10 of them, which led Sporting Clube de Portugal to approach him. In March 2020, they paid a considerable amount to release him from his contract with Braga. In an impressive debut season with Sporting, Amorim led the team to a domestic double, securing their first league title in 19 years. The team experienced just one league defeat throughout the entire season.
Ruben Amorim, while serving as the head coach of Sporting CP, faced the challenge of rebuilding the team multiple times due to interest from other clubs in his top players. Notable clubs like PSG came for Nuno Mendes and Manuel Ugarte (who is now at Manchester United), Fulham also came for Joao Palhinha (who is now at Bayern Munich), thus; Amorim had to rebuild the team consistently whiles challenging for honors. Given that Sporting spends the least compared to other top clubs in Portugal, Amorim’s ability to reconstruct the team and keep them competitive at the top of Liga Portugal is quite an impressive achievement.
Prior to heading to Old Trafford, Amorim has led Sporting to the top of the Portuguese league this season, maintaining a perfect record with eleven victories out of eleven games. Additionally, Sporting is currently in second place in the Champions League group stage, having secured three wins and one draw in their first four matches.
Ruben Amorim’s Tactics Explained
Amorim gained recognition for his use of a back three system throughout his coaching career, focusing on a strong defense and adaptable attacking strategies. His preferred formation is 3-4-2-1 or 3-4-3, which has two attacking midfielders behind the primary forward.
Build-up Phase
In the build-up phase, Rúben Amorim organizes his team in a 4-2-5 formation, positioning the goalkeeper between the center-backs and utilizing a box-midfield setup. The attacking midfielders and goalkeeper are actively involved in this phase, which helps create numerical advantages and allows them to overcome pressing from opponents. With four central midfielders, there are more options in the center and reduced space between players, which aligns with Amorim’s preference for central play.
He requires wingbacks to position themselves wide on each flank to stretch the defense, while the others focus on gaining numerical superiority in midfield. This strategy enhances defending transitions, enabling more players to press when possession is lost. Additionally, having numerous players in the middle minimizes the distance between them, resulting in shorter passes and quicker ball movement. Consequently, opposing players have less time to advance and apply pressure, granting Amorim’s players greater time and control.
Settled Possession Phase
During the settled possession phase, Amorim organizes his team in a 1-3-2-5 formation. The two holding midfielders are seldom aligned in the same line, one will always be positioned slightly deeper, depending on the ball’s location. This arrangement allows the holding midfielders to interchange passes and creates more opportunities for passing combinations.
Additionally, Amorim’s teams maintain a very high defensive line, which aids in counter-pressing by bringing them closer to the center. With more players near the center capable of regaining possession, it becomes challenging for the opposing team to recycle the ball. Moreover, the high defensive line reduces the distance between players, leading to quicker and shorter passes.
Chance Creation
Amorim’s team consistently generates numerous scoring opportunities, particularly by exploiting the area between the opposing center-back and fullback. They often achieve this through underlapping runs. Amorim’s team frequently creates space for their wing-backs by switching play with a long pass during their possession. The wing-backs then engages the fullback while anticipating a run from an attacking midfielder.
The defending midfielder assigned to the attacking midfielder typically has difficulty keeping up with the run, which forces the center-back to make a choice. If the center-back follows the run, it opens up a significant gap in the box for the striker to take advantage of. As a result, many center-backs tend to remain central, allowing the winger to pass the ball into the available space for the attacking midfielder. This gives the attacking midfielder the time and space needed to deliver a cross to teammates who can score.
The wing-back is not required to always pass the ball to the underlapping player. Instead, the underlapping player sometimes pulls a defensive midfielder away, creating space in the middle. This allows the wing-back to either drive the ball inside and attempt a shot or make a pass to an open teammate positioned behind the defense. Amorim’s team also takes advantage of the area between the center-back and the fullback by sending through-balls from the midfield or defense.
The attacking midfielders and wing-backs also make runs into the box when the ball is in the final third, frequently bringing four or five players into these areas to create numerical advantages. This overload forces the defending team to make choices, leaving some players unmarked.
Amorim’s team also often score from crosses aimed at the wing-back positioned at the back post. The opposing fullback is usually focused on the attacking midfielder, which creates significant space at the back post for the wing-back to exploit.
Ruben Amorim also places several players outside the box, prepared for second balls and cut-backs. They effectively pressure the opposing defense, which opens up space in front of the backline. Amorim’s team frequently finds their midfielders in these areas, allowing them to either shoot or link up with an attacker to generate scoring chances.
Defensive Structure
When not in possession, the focus is on maintaining compactness and restricting space behind the defense and in central zones. When the opposing team has the ball, Amorim’s team usually adopts a 5-2-3 or 5-4-1 formation. The wing-backs drop back to create a five-man defense, while the wide center-backs are instructed to be proactive defensively, aiming to intercept passes directed towards attacking midfielders or strikers who are moving into the spaces between the lines.
Pressing Structure
Amorim’s team is known for being very aggressive when pressing. When they apply a high press, the front three players tighten their formation to focus on defending the central areas. Similarly, when in possession, Amorim emphasizes occupying the central zones. Once they initiate the press, the forwards aim to push the play towards the flanks, with the forwards angling their press from the inside out.
As the forwards press the ball to the flanks, the wing-back steps out from the defensive line of five. The wing-back on the opposite side remains in a line of four to guard the far post. The double pivot moves aggressively across the field to keep the action concentrated on one side. In these scenarios, they are less likely to stagger their positions in the second line, as their main goal is to stop the opposing team from playing back inside.
The wing-back aims to intercept the pass along the sideline, while the nearest center-back is prepared to follow any wide player. The rest of the defensive line is set up to contest any aerial challenges or changes in play.
The forwards continue to apply pressure on the ball, particularly the two wide forwards. The nearest forward pressures the ball from behind to keep the play wide. The center forward maintains their position to block passes that could penetrate the middle of the formation, while the forward on the opposite side adjusts their position based on the strengths of the opposing team. If the opposition is skilled at switching play, the far-side wide player will fall back into the second line. However, if Amorim believes it’s worth taking a greater risk, this player will stay high, prepared to transition quickly or press aggressively if an opponent makes a triggering pass.
This detailed analysis of Ruben Amorim’s tactics highlights his focus on a very good central defensive structure and fluid central attacking plays, which could appeal to Manchester United supporters, as Amorim’s tactical approach may just enhance the performance of their players.
