MANCHESTER UNITED achieved a narrow 3-2 win over Ipswich on Wednesday.
Three set pieces delivered by Bruno Fernandes proved to be the difference against Kieran McKenna‘s relegation battlers.
GettyRuben Amorim was left with more questions than answers about Man Utd after their 3-2 win over Ipswich[/caption]
PAThere are a number of profile issues within the squad[/caption]
PAAnd there are also attacking dilemmas for the 40-year-old to face[/caption]
But Ruben Amorim was still left with a number of problems to solve.
The most glaring of all is the shocking defensive frailty on show by both the back line and the goalkeeper.
Meanwhile, they remain agonisingly toothless in open play with Rasmus Hojlund continuing to struggle, even before Utd went down to ten men after Patrick Dorgu‘s sending off.
Below we analyse five key points from the win over Ipswich.
Defensive profiles are not right for a back three
Man Utd playing almost exclusively in a back three should come as no surprise to anyone inside or outside of the club following Amorim’s appointment.
He has used that system throughout his coaching career and very rarely used a back four.
The issue is the profiles of the central defenders Amorim has at his disposal do not lend themselves to playing in the system.
Arguably Leny Yoro, a young player who is still developing, has the athletic ability to play as one of the wide central defenders, although it still requires a very specific skillset.
Those players have to be mobile and athletic enough to defend when isolated and in space in the wide areas.
Against Ipswich Yoro played on the left and looked relatively comfortable.
Elsewhere, Matthijs de Ligt played on the right to accommodate Harry Maguire playing as the central player in the back three.
De Ligt is a very good defensive player but his profile is as a right-sided central defender in a back four or as the central defender in a back three.
Here De Ligt and Maguire were caught high and out of position as the opposition counter attack with neither able to recover properly
He lacks the mobility, speed and athleticism to be able to defend effectively when he is pulled out into wide areas.
As Amorim is trying to get both Maguire and De Ligt into the starting line-up it means one of the two has to play in a role they are not comfortable with.
Bruno Fernandes has to play deeper
When Amorim was initially appointed one of the most pressing questions that needed to be answered from a tactical point of view was surrounding the specific role Fernandes would play for him.
Fernandes, United’s captain, was already very familiar with the system Amorim favoured as he is a Sporting Lisbon fan who had watched them frequently following his departure.
GettyBruno Fernandes played in a deeper position against Ipswich which worked a treat[/caption]
In the early stages we have seen Fernandes used, for the most part, as one of the two advanced midfielders behind the striker.
There is a very real argument, however, that his best role in this system would be as one of the two deeper midfielders.
And against Ipswich this is where he was used and to great effect.
While he is not a particularly defensive midfielder, he is one of the most aggressive and effective passers in the Premier League and his ability to quickly get on the ball and play forward passes into the opposition half and the final third can create real value for Man Utd.
Against Ipswich we saw him regularly dropping into his own defensive third to get on to the ball before then playing forward passes to hurt the opposition.
Here Fernandes drops deep to receive the ball and from these positions can play long switches or forward
Ball progression from deeper areas has been one of the biggest issues for United under Amorim and in moving Fernandes into deeper areas where he can impact this we have seen the coach move to solve the issue.
This probably should be the Portuguese midfielder’s role going forward, but as discussed on Tactics Exposed, his “Steven Gerrard syndrome” needs to be put in check for the team to do better.
Unlocking Joshua Zirkzee
Signing Joshua Zirkzee in the summer was an interesting move for Man Utd.
While he had just enjoyed a strong season in front of goal for Bologna, Zirkzee was never really seen as an out and out striker.
GettyJoshua Zirkzee has found a new lease of life as one of the No10s in Amorim’s 3-4-3[/caption]
He has never really convinced when played by Amorim or his predecessor, Erik ten Hag, as the lone striker.
But in recent weeks, partly down to injury and profile needs, we have seen Zirkzee used as one of the two most advanced midfielders behind the striker which has unlocked his potential more.
By playing deeper Zirkzee is able to use his size and technical ability to really impact the game.
He shows very strong positional sense in moving along the final third and finding pockets of space that he can occupy in order to receive the ball from team-mates.
He has the ability to receive and hold off defenders while combining and bringing team-mates into the game.
Here we see how Zirkzee is able to take up space behind the Ipswich midfield to provide a forward passing option
While some other players who have played as one of the two behind the strikers, like Amad Diallo or Alejandro Garnacho are more traditionally wingers we see Zirkzee taking up more natural positions centrally as he is used to that kind of role.
There is every chance that the Dutch international will have a key role for United from now to the end of the season.
Solving a problem like Rasmus Hojlund
Perhaps that is too harsh on Rasmus Hojlund.
The Danish striker has impressed at times since joining from Atalanta, but he has yet to really go on a consistent run of games where he really grabs a game and makes a decisive difference in the final third.
AFPRasmus Hojlund is proving a real problem for Man Utd[/caption]
One of the most regular knocks on Hojlund is that for a striker with his physical gifts he does not take enough shots at goal.
While the numbers don’t lie in this regard, it is part of a more substantial problem and one seen again in the match against Ipswich.
Hojlund has a habit of not staying high enough and not giving his team a platform to play into as the lone striker.
He has the pace and power to be dangerous when playing on the last shoulder but he wants to come off the front line into deeper positions in order to look for the ball.
Here United have actually worked their way into a strong position in the final third but Hojlund has come too deep meaning they lack a central presence
While this is fine at points it means United are lacking a presence on the last line and it happens too often.
Hojlund needs to display better attacking instincts and more effective positioning as a striker if he is to prove that he really is the answer to United’s goalscoring problem.
United need to continue leveraging set pieces
Set pieces were the key for United in this match with all three of their goals, one own goal and two from central defenders, coming as a result of set pieces.
Given that the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool in particular are so effective when it comes to making the most of set pieces this is an area of the game that United need to continue to build on.
This is especially important for a team like United who are struggling to get regular goals from their central strikers.
Against Ipswich the delivery from these situations from Fernandes (that man again) was key and although their routines were not overly creative they were effective.
United have found success with set pieces recently
If United are going to move back up the Premier League table and end this season with a trophy it feels important that they are able to make the most out of these opportunities to create chances.
Strong set piece preparation and good execution is one area in which United can quickly make marginal gains in terms of the chances they are able to create.
Conclusion
It is difficult to be too critical of United in a game they won but there are still clear signs both that they do not have the correct profiles in their squad to play the way that Amorim wants.
Time and strong recruitment will be needed but there were still some interesting points in the match against Ipswich.
Will lessons be learned for Sunday’s clash with Fulham, though?
Man Utd ratings vs Ipswich as Maguire saves the day after Onana makes case to be WORST ever signing
MANCHESTER UNITED eased their fears of the drop in a topsy-turvy relegation six-pointer with Ipswich.
The Red Devils triumphed 3-2 despite playing the second half with ten men.
A major cock-up from Patrick Dorgu and Andre Onana saw Ipswich take a third-minute lead through Jaden Philogene.
Then, after United had recovered to lead 2-1, Dorgu saw a straight red card for a poor challenge on Omari Hutchinson.
Philogene scored again to level it before the break only for Harry Maguire to nod in to be United’s saviour.
But who was United’s best player on the night?
Here, SunSport’s Phil Thomas reveals his Manchester United player ratings…
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