Manchester United spent the international break adjusting to their new manager, as Ruben Amorim got to work at the club following his move from Sporting to Old Trafford. With huge speculation over his setup, formation, selection and style of play, United fans and the wider footballing world were keen to look to see if any of the predicted changes were made, and how much United could be improved in just a few days on the training ground under their new manager. With so many questions coming into the game, Amorim had already won over the hearts and minds of fans, but the trip to Ipswich presented an opportunity for fans to see their new managers plan in action, while the new manager had to get to know what his side were capable of when it matters.

The game itself was interesting, as United started incredibly positively showing exactly what their new manager can offer. After this point however, players were almost in a training mindset for the visiting side, as they were tyring to learn their positions, how high/deep they should be playing and what exactly was needed at all times from the manager. As a result, we saw Amorim constantly talking players through moments or decisions which really took away their ability to press on and dominate further, instead needing to overthink their decision making and almost get in their own head a bit too much. As a result, Ipswich weren’t in training mode and pushed on, being the better side for large periods and getting their reward of a fantastic equaliser just before half time. The second half showed a lot of old mistakes again from United, and suggested that the new manager would have an even bigger workload than I think he realised on arrival.

The draw doesn’t damage too much from a United perspective, as they stay in the bottom half (12th) with 16 points to their name. Although a trip to newly promoted Ipswich would have been a great opportunity to pick up 3 points and boost the morale of the new manager arriving, instead it could be beneficial long-term as it felt like the game was just as much of the manager finding out about his side than the result, which isn’t something most managers can have, and won’t be a luxury afforded to the manager for too long in the job. Overall it’s a game with positives and negatives, some questions have been answered but just as many have been asked on top, so we just have to wait and see how long it will be for Amorim to implement fully his new system, and for the players to adjust.

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Teams

With all the speculation around Ruben Amorim’s setup, formation and selection, it’s clear that his interview earlier in the week about not seeing the vision just looking at the team sheet, but seeing it once in action. The selected XI brought some surprises and some areas that were probably expected. We had the pleasant inclusion in the XI for several of the players who featured on international duty, along with the bench giving a positive view of the returning players from injury as Shaw and Malacia signalled a near return from long-term injuries, while Mount and Mainoo also seem to have shaken off their injury concerns.

In a surprising turn however, the XI had a few interesting choices. Amad was to be used as the right wing-back which many thought wouldn’t get the best of him given his skill in and around the opposition box, however this turned out not to be the case. There was a surprise in the likes of Evans and Eriksen getting a starting spot who United fans will perhaps expect to see less when the other options in those respective positions return to fitness and shake off the international break fatigue. Additionally we saw Rashford as the starting striker despite Hojlund and Zirkzee both being available. Rashford moving centrally is something people have expected given the lack of wide-forward role in the system Amorim is opting for, and with Garnacho and Bruno Fernandes filling in the attacking midfield spots while Dalot and Amad played the ‘1 defensive, 1 attacking’ wing back roles, Rashford may be needed to adjust and challenge to lead the line in this system.

Overall the setup was mainly what was expected, and although a few names did surprise us initially on viewing the team sheet, thinking of the injuries, lack of training time and international break travel for some, it seemed like about 50% of the squad were in the starting positions they will probably be in for most games, while the other 50% were either being given a chance to try the role, or needed to plug the gap in place of one of the players not selected or in the travelling squad.

For Ipswich, they started with their big hitters in Delap, Szmodics and Hutchinson in their forward line who have impressed so far this season, and were earmarked as the main threats, while Tuanzebe faced off against the club he came through at and played 37 times for. With Kieran McKenna in the dugout, opting for the standard United formation of previous years 4-2-3-1, it seemed like a glimpse of what could have been if a summer move was made for the former coach at Old Trafford, and possibly what may come in a few years time depending on the success of Amorim and career trajectory of McKenna.

Ipswich Town: Muric, Tuanzebe, O’Shea, Burgess, Davis, Morsy, Cajuste (Taylor 65′), Burns (Chaplin 82′), Hutchinson, Szmodics (Clarke 65′), Delap (Al Hamadi 81′)

Subs: Walton, Townsend, Clarke, Woolfenden, Luongo

Manchester United: Onana, Evans (Shaw 56′), De Ligt, Mazraoui, Dalot, Eriksen (Zirkzee 68′), Casemiro (Ugarte 56′), Amad, Garnacho (Mound 86′), Fernandes, Rashford (Hojlund 68′)

Subs: Bayindir, Malacia, Mainoo, Antony

Ipswich Town 1-1 Manchester United

Manchester United started the game in perfect fashion, with Amad taking on several players before putting the ball into the danger zone where Rashford managed to get in front of the goalkeeper and defence to slot away the first goal of the afternoon, and the first of Amorim’s tenure in just 81 seconds of action. Ending the 8 game streak without scoring for Rashford will surely help give the player and manager confidence that he can be used in this central role more regularly, or that he has the goal-mouth presence still to take these chances. With Amad also being given the surprising responsibility of wing-back, it helped assure the new manager that keeping Amad wide would bring some positive results in an attacking perspective as the youngster was confident and felt like he had the beating of Davis on that side.

Unfortunately for Amorim however, from this point it was the home team who took control and despite United having most of the ball, Ipswich were exposing United for their old errors which creeped into the game on several occasions, and the uncertainty around the new style and approach which combined to leave Ipswich with control of the midfield and United’s 3 man defence a little unsure of how high/deep to be at certain points. Ipswich were held out by another Onana strong performance as he showed again his importance to the side as he kept Ipswich out until the 43rd minute when Hutchinson’s shot on goal took a deflection off Mazraoui and over the keeper to level things just before the break. With the half-time whistle offering United some reprieve, the manager will have been clear in his message and instructions as the players were crying out for some guidance at points.

In the second half it was more of the same, with Ipswich looking the more dangerous of the two teams. United had more possession but did nothing with it, as the forward line was having a very quiet afternoon, while Ipswich looked dangerous every time they got around the oppositions box, being spurred on by the home crowd. With Onana being required again on several occasions, changes were made on both sides to liven up their chances but with United’s attacking line still looking unsure of what to do with the ball, it resulted in strings of passes between defenders and limited clear-cut opportunities, while Ipswich were lacking that final moment in their play to get them in front.

With both teams settling for a draw, it was Ipswich who came away with the credit as they put in a real shift and showed their quality at times. McKenna had set his team up to capitalise on the recurring issues of United and they did that on many occasions. For Amorim, the game had an almost training ground feel as players at times seemed to want the manager to come onto the pitch and move them into place, and despite his best efforts on the side-line, it’s going to take a few more sessions at Carrington before all the pieces of this system fall into place, and United shake off their old errors.

Statistically, United dominated the ball with almost 60% possession, however they were struggling with what to actually do when in possession. In terms of shots, both sides were level on 11, but Ipswich had more on target (6 to 4) which indicated that more clinical decision making in the final third. The game had a decent balance which United would hope in a few months time in the return fixture, when Amorim has figured out his best system for the players available, this clarity would allow his team to dominate when ahead early, rather than letting the opposition back into the game, but for McKenna he will take pride in knowing his side can come up against a team like United even with the media all around the game, and put in a performance worthy of a win on another day.

The shared points leaves United with work to do in the league table, as they remain in the bottom half (12th) for another week, and now with a 6 point gap to close on the top 4 sides. They are now 15 points off Liverpool in top, so anyone naïve enough to expect Amorim to work his magic quickly might need to revaluate their expectations. United still remain closer to 20th than 1st but with a run of games coming in the rest of 2024, Amorim will be expecting to see better from his side that results in more points on the board, and United in contention for European places by the start of the new year. For Ipswich, they remain inside the bottom 3, but only 1 win away from moving into 14th. With some of the sides around the bottom having big results this weekend, Ipswich’s point doesn’t help them too much, but keeps them with a strong chance of being able to leapfrog one of their relegation rivals to have a chance of survival, and with McKenna at the helm, with Delap and Hutchinson in their side, I think they look in a decent position to have a real chance this season.

Talking Points

The first major talking point of this game was surely the formation and system implemented by Amorim. The manager made it clear he was going in with his system from minute 1, and that is exactly what he did. Although perhaps not the XI we expected, the roles were clearly defined in the game, with Evans-De Ligt-Mazraoui being the back 3, Dalot-Amad wing-backs, Eriksen-Casemiro holding midfielders, Garnacho-Fernandes attacking midfielders and Rashford as the central striker. Given the international break and lack of training time and returning players from injury, the XI was a bit of a surprise but understood given the build-up.

Of the formation, the only real surprises would have been Amad as wing-back, who actually was United’s best player in the game and managed the position near perfectly, with being given the attacking wing-back duty while Dalot played the more defensive role on the other side. We had Eriksen and Casemiro starting in the midfield which didn’t really offer the energy Amorim would want from his holding midfielders, and often left Ipswich with control of the ball in this area, which additionally put the centre backs under a bit of uncertainty at times. Finally, we had Rashford leading the line as central striker, something he has previously said no to really enjoy as much as playing on the wing, but with this option not really available in the system, he took on this role and got his goal in the opening moments of the game. After this, he did have a quiet performance and perhaps will be looked at as a versatile option to try the wing-back or attacking midfield positions in the system and then as cover for Hojlund in the forward position going into the future games.

For me watching the game, the formation and system works really well, the question is just whether the players selected have the physical and mental abilities to perform their given roles, if they need time to adjust and learn, or if they are perhaps better suited to one of the other duties on the field, which I’m sure will be answered by the end of 2024 when Amorim is 9 games into his reign.

The second talking point from the game has to be based on the formation and change to the system, and also one of the biggest things spoken about by Amorim in his post-match interviews, and that was the players ‘overthinking’. It was clear on several occasions during the game, either watching the manager or specific players, that the understanding of the system simply hasn’t sunk in yet at this stage. There wouldn’t be any expectation of the new manager changing style of play and everyone getting on board instantly, especially as some of the players who seemed uncertain weren’t at the club for most of the week build up due to international commitments.

A player who seemed to struggle was Alejandro Garnacho, who was hugging the touchline, but as the manager put him in the no.10 role, he had to move inward to help out in the centre, and free up space for Dalot in the wing-back role. This was something Amorim was speaking about a lot in the first half with the player right in front of him. Garnacho did take this on board at times and when he pushed inside it did create some strong link-up play between the two, however this did sneak back in a few times with Garnacho wanting to get wide and be his usual goal threat. In the second half, Garnacho was actually switched to the right side of the attacking midfield duties, potentially to keep him closer to the manager for guidance, potentially for Bruno Fernandes to get more involved or for Garnacho to link up more with Rashford. I do worry a bit for Garnacho in this setup, as he is a winger or wide-forward, who likes to stretch the play, take on players and cut inside for a chance at goal. The system doesn’t allow that unless he drops deeper to wing-back which I worry won’t suit his game. I will cut the youngster some slack however as he didn’t return to the club until I believe Friday, so has had so little time with the new manager to learn his new role, and may turn out to adjust well.

It wasn’t just Garnacho who seemed a bit lost at points in the positioning, as Casemiro was seen being told to push higher when pressing a few times by the manager, Fernandes was quieter than normal as he didn’t see as much of the ball, Eriksen seemed uncertain of the higher pressing moments, Zirkzee didn’t have the clarity in the final third and the defence in Evans and De Ligt both had moments where they looked a bit lost and needing some reassurance of their roles.

Those teething problems are definitely expected, and by Thursday’s Europa League game we may see some changes to the personnel in certain roles, or that the players used have used the extra time to brush up on the style Amorim wants to use, which can then get the best out of themselves and others around. It’s nothing I would say that fans should worry about, but definitely one of the talking points as watching the players at certain moments, and with a fairly animated coach on the touchline, the uncertainty was quite clear.

Finally, my overall would be that while it’s good for Amorim to see his side in action, let a few players try out certain roles, rotate throughout the game and give fans a glimpse of what is possible under his leadership and system, it feels like there’s more to come. This season especially expectations of even a Champions League push are low, and this allows the manager plenty of leeway for putting the result second to the performance, and fans were seen chanting for the manager and the team from minute 1 to after full-time. This shows everyone at the club that the fans know and understand it’s a long process, but seeing incremental improvements will be crucial in the 8 games that remain of 2024. A game away at Ipswich where you’ve taken the lead inside 2 minutes should result in 3 points no matter the system or personnel, but given the lack of time on the training pitch and with players still adapting, it can be written off as a learning process. That said, the players should know that the manager will be given leeway from fans, but they’ve had their opportunities, their chances and their time to prove themselves, so now we need to see who can adapt, or who may be moved on.