Manchester United’s director of recruitment, Christopher Vivell, reportedly flagged up to the club’s hierarchy this summer that Ruben Amorim‘s tactical approach had become too predictable. According to The Daily Mail, the one-time Chelsea technical director relayed observations from Fulham boss Marco Silva and midfielder Alex Iwobi, who discussed United’s predictability in their WhatsApp group following the teams’ 1-1 draw.
Silva said after his side fought back from behind to secure a point at Craven Cottage: “We knew how they defend, and we know that they like to squeeze from the back five, and if you don’t give bodies for them to squeeze from the back five, you can create superiority in the middle. We know they play with two in the middle, we tried to overload with our three plus Alex (Iwobi), and it was as simple as that.”
Iwobi, meanwhile, added: “We knew that we would be able to get behind their two midfielders and that their centre-backs would want to jump. We exploited that today.”
The candid nature of Fulham’s tactical breakdown reportedly irritated Vivell due to how openly they discussed dismantling Amorim’s system. United players have also engaged with social media criticism aimed at the Portuguese head coach. Patrick Dorgu ‘liked’ an Instagram post from a supporter account featuring the comment: “Any coach that sees Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes as a viable pivot is one that isn’t serious.” The post’s caption declared: “Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro CANNOT play together.”
In a now-deleted Instagram post last month, Paul Scholes expressed his frustration over Kobbie Mainoo‘s situation at United, stating the player “is being ruined by not being played in a team that can’t control a game of football.” The ex-United midfielder had previously voiced his dissatisfaction to Sky Sports: “One of the most disappointing things for me is Kobbie Mainoo not being involved in this Manchester United team. We saw how good he was 18 months to two years ago, and for some reason, it hasn’t quite happened for him.
“The manager doesn’t seem to quite fancy him, but we all know the qualities he has, the manager’s just for some reason preferring somebody else, and that’s something he has to deal with. I think he’s dealt with it quite well at this moment, but at some point, he will get frustrated. As I’m frustrated with watching Manchester United at times as well, and especially with Kobbie Mainoo, because home-grown talent, we don’t have many of them anymore, and we want him in our team.
“He [Amorim] possibly doesn’t trust him physically at the moment. Casemiro isn’t the most physical, but he’s streetwise. He knows the position; he’s done it for so many years in a great Real Madrid team, so he’s got that experience. Kobbie hasn’t quite got that experience yet.
“I think Kobbie, if he’s going to play, he needs to play in a midfield three, really. Manchester United don’t do that. They’ve got a midfield two with two 10s. So, for him to get one of those positions is something he’s got to work his way into doing now. Maybe you need two Bruno Fernandes.
“You need a Bruno Fernandes to be the playmaker, and one to be a No 10 as well. I think Kobbie Mainoo is more than capable of being that playmaker, next to a Casemiro or a [Manuel] Ugarte. I think he’s clever enough in possession, but for some reason the manager doesn’t seem to think he’s the answer at the moment.”