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Manchester United’s switch to a 3-4-3 system under Ruben Amorim has been far from smooth as seen from the head coach’s Premier League record.
Under him, the Red Devils have lost 11 games while winning a mere six in the English top-flight with plenty urging the Portuguese to adapt his tactics according to the players at his disposal.
But he has always maintained that it is necessary to play his way and “suffer” this season rather than starting from scratch in the summer.
The truth is that under Erik ten Hag, United recruited to play a high-transition style while the former Sporting CP boss prefers a possession-based style.
Mount on improvement
It has been over four months since Amorim’s arrival, and while the occasional hiccup still persists, the Europa League campaign has shown that the players are slowly coming to grips with what their head coach demands.
And Mason Mount, who has played in a similar system before at Chelsea, told the club’s media team that he can see that things are slowly clicking into gear.
“Unfortunately, I picked up an injury that had me sidelined for some time, but I’ve obviously worked as hard as I could to get back, and I was watching it from the stands.
“You can see the improvement that’s happened over the last couple of months. I think the results will come. We’ve been working really hard as a team, and I think, in some games, you can see the improvement that we’re getting there.”
His familiarity with the style and his off-the-ball work is exactly why Amorim loves the England international, who has even helped his teammates understand the system in recent months.
And the United No 7 feels that the team is very close to understanding the full picture and once that is achieved, special things are in store for the fans.
Very close to clicking
“He’s (Amorim) been brilliant. I’d seen the way he likes to play and the formations he’d played in Portugal. It’s something that I’ve been used to and I’ve played in the past, so I know the kind of movement he likes. It’s very similar. So I knew I could be helping the lads around me understand the formation.
“It’s very difficult when you change from one formation to another. It can be quite a big difference, so, at the beginning, it takes some time to get used to and to click. But once you do find that moment that it does, I think it can be very special.
“I think we’re so close to that. There’s still small details here and there. The small details are so important when you’re playing at this level and this type of formation.”
Fans will be hoping that these words ring true and the players can end the season on a high by lifting the Europa League trophy at Bilbao come next month.
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