Ruben Amorim confirmed in the post-match press conference that the decision to leave out Garnacho and Rashford had nothing to do with the outcome of the Manchester Derby. Many reporters tried to "ask" by asking the question that Man United won by leaving out these two harmless strikers, thereby creating room for others to shine and bring home 3 points.
Faced with the media traps of reporters in England, Amorim was very careful. If the Portuguese strategist accidentally said something negative about Garnacho and Rashford, it was very likely that the dressing room would be in turmoil. Amorim had only been at Old Trafford for 6 weeks, in fact 4 weeks of official work, any disturbance at this time, even the smallest, would be negative.
Winning against Man City without Rashford - Garnacho shows that Amorim is a person with 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 cannot prove their ability, that person is forced to happily accept leaving the starting lineup.
"Today's match proved that we can win with anyone in the starting lineup. As long as we are all united, everything will be fine" - Amorim shared.
Before the match at Etihad, Man United had lost two consecutive matches in the Premier League against Nottingham and Arsenal. If they lost to Man City again, the streak of three consecutive matches would sound the alarm bells for Ruben Amorim. The absence of Garnacho and Rashford in the registered list of players raised further doubts about a bad result for the "Red Devils".
Amorim has denied rumors that Rashford and Garnacho were dropped for intentionally leaking the starting lineup before the match. Whether this is true or not, from the Portuguese strategist's side, everything has been settled.
Rashford's somewhat loose lifestyle has caused his form to fluctuate in recent times. Amorim of course wants his student 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 10 matches. Dropping these two stars, for whatever reason, is a huge challenge for Amorim. Luckily, 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 training effectiveness, performance and team-mate bonding. Players are at risk when we put all the criteria on the table to calculate. For me personally, it's even the way the players eat and dress to go watch their teammates compete," Amorim shared.
Amorim's decision to leave Garnacho and Rashford out this time has been successful in many ways. Firstly, the good result in the important Derby. Secondly, the pressure to change the team's two leading strikers. Finally, the fairness in the dressing room, whoever 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 this formation and have good results, if they cannot adapt, the door to leaving Old Trafford is always ready.
