Over the past two weeks, Ruben Amorim has spoken a lot about Man United needing to improve their fitness. The 39-year-old even said that if the team wants to win the Premier League, all the players need to run like animals. Fitness has always been Amorim's top priority, but many of his players have not been able to meet the requirements.
In the loss to Nottingham, Amorim made a surprising decision when he took captain Bruno Fernandes off in the 76th minute to replace him with Mason Mount. At that time, Man United were in dire need of a goal to equalize, but the Portuguese strategist had a decision on a substitution that was going against the situation at that time.
However, in the post-match press conference, Amorim spoke directly about that decision. He thought Bruno was no longer fit enough and had to be substituted. Using Mount or someone else also comes from the need to ensure physical strength when there are many unused substitutions.
Another proof that Amorim's decision was correct was that in Nottingham's second goal, Bruno himself misjudged the direction of the pass to Leny Yoro. From there, the away team easily gained control of the ball and advanced to the M.U penalty area at a very high speed.
The next problem is the central midfield position, which should be given to Manuel Ugarte more often. In Amorim's first five games against Man United, Ugarte played all five of them with 317 minutes (3 starts). The Uruguayan midfielder seems to be the only one who has adapted to the 3-4-3 formation so far. The reason is that Ugarte does not have to progress the ball too much. It is being given to the centre-backs and wingers in Amorim's style of play.
Not having progressed the ball does not mean Ugarte did not participate in the attack. Even with more free time, in addition to blocking, the former PSG star has helped the former PSG star penetrate the opponent's bottom third of the field more often. The proof is that Ugarte himself had the decisive pass for Rasmus Hojlund to score the winning goal to seal the score at 3-2 against Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League.
If Ugarte deserves more starting opportunities, Amad Diallo should be given a full starting position because what this striker has shown is very good. The 22-year-old striker alone is controlling the entire right wing area well, pushing people like Antony away from Old Trafford because they cannot meet expectations.
Amad is one of the few players at M.U who could play at high speeds for most of the match. In addition, he can also beat the opposing defender in direct confrontations, thereby opening up opportunities for teammates inside the penalty area or finishing himself. Therefore, Amorim needs to nail this position so that Amad can confidently contribute.
The final problem facing Amorim is the tight schedule that does not allow him time to train players. The 39-year-old strategist and his team currently have to take advantage of every moment to train the whole team. As analyzed, the physical strength of the "Red Devils" players at the moment is very limited, so they need to practice more to improve.
Many M.U players could not survive when practicing according to the new training program, often walking instead of running at the end of the exercise. Therefore, Ruben Amorim and his assistants had to add short exercises right in the dressing room to help the players maintain the rhythm and intensity continuously. In the context of the increasingly harsh Premier League, not having enough physical strength to compete will push Man United out of all races.
