Ruben Amorim affirmed in the post-match press conference that the decision to remove Garnacho and Rashford had nothing to do with the result of the Manchester Derby. Many reporters tried to "question" when asking the issue that Man United won by removing the names of these two harmless strikers, thereby giving others space to shine and bring home 3 points.
Faced with the media traps of reporters in England, Amorim was very careful. If the Portuguese strategist misses the words about Garnacho and Rashford in a negative way, it is likely that the dressing room will be more or less chaotic. Amorim has only been at Old Trafford for 6 weeks, in fact 4 weeks of official work, any disorder at this time, even the smallest, is negative. Winning against Man City without needing Rashford - Garnacho shows that Amorim is someone who has the ability to change and adapt very well. Any weakness that has existed for a long time can be put aside to make room for changes. Amorim has given everyone a chance, if anyone fails to prove their ability, they are forced to happily accept leaving the starting lineup.
"Today's match proves that we can win with anyone in the starting lineup. As long as everyone is united, everything will be fine" - Amorim shared.
Before the match at the Etihad, Man United were on a two-match losing streak in the Premier League against Nottingham and Arsenal. If they lose to Man City again, a streak of 3 consecutive matches will ring the alarm bell for Ruben Amorim. The absence of Garnacho and Rashford from the squad has further raised doubts about a poor result for the "Red Devils".
Before the rumors that Rashford and Garnacho were left out of the squad for deliberately leaking the starting lineup information before the match took place, Amorim denied it. Whether this is true or not, from the Portuguese strategist's side, everything has been settled.
In recent times, Rashford's somewhat lax lifestyle has caused the striker's form to fluctuate. Amorim of course wants his player to regain his original feeling, especially after the 2022 World Cup.
Since the beginning of the season in the Premier League, Rashford has started 12 matches and Garnacho has started 10 matches. Eliminating these two stars, for whatever reason, is a huge challenge for Amorim. Fortunately, Man United won and now the pressure to improve is on the "Red Devils" striker pair.
"The coaching staff always tries to make decisions based on the assessment of the effectiveness of the training, competition performance and cohesion with teammates. The players are at risk when we put all the criteria on the table to calculate. As for me personally, it's even the way the players eat and dress to go see their teammates play" - Amorim shared.
Amorim's decision to leave Garnacho and Rashford out this time has been successful in many aspects. First is the good result in the important Derby match. Then there is the pressure of having to change with 2 spearheads on the team's attack. Finally, there is fairness in the dressing room, anyone who plays well will be on the field and vice versa.
If Amorim continues to use the 3-4-2-1 formation, Garnacho and Rashford will have a lot of difficulty adapting. However, if Man United play according to this formation and have good results, if they cannot adapt, the door to leaving Old Trafford is always ready.
