Coming on the back of four successuve defeats, Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim couldn’t have asked for a worse time to visit Anfield. Arne Slot’s high-flying Liverpool looked primed for another comfortable outing against their arch-rivals, but reality had other ideas. The Red Devils produced a stunning display as they left the pitch with a 2-2 draw. Let’s break down Ruben Amorim Liverpool tactics and see how he managed to frustrate the title contenders.
Ruben Amorim Tactics: The Basics
One of Erik ten Hag’s major shortcomings at Manchester United was his failure to establish a clear style of play. It’s little wonder, then, that the club have turned to Ruben Amorim as the Dutchman’s successor, a manager famous for his tactical finesse.
Throughout his managerial career, he has stuck with a back three. Opta data reveals that his preferred starting formation at Sporting Lisbon had been 3-4-2-1. He also used the 3-4-3 and 3-5-2 there.
Adjusting to his tactics may take time for Manchester United’s players. Under Ten Hag, the team lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in nearly 90 per cent of their league and European matches. According to Opta, they didn’t start a single game in those competitions with a back three.
We have already seen United’s struggles against the likes of Wolves, Bournemouth and Newcastle. But they finally saw a glimmer of hope against Liverpool at Anfield. Let’s have a closer look at Ruben Amorim Liverpool Tactics and try to understand how it worked so well against the Merseysiders.
Why Did Amorim’s Tactics Work At Anfield?
Ruben Amorim set up his team to attack in 3-5-2 against Liverpool. While defending, the team reshaped in a 4-5-1 structure. During the first phase of build-up United used three centre-backs to bring the ball out of the back.
Arne Slot pressed the United backline in 4-4-2. That means, only two Liverpool players, Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz, pressed the United back three when they had the ball. This created a 3v2 overload in the first phase of play.
As a result one of United’s wingbacks always had freedom to move the ball further up the pitch. Trent Alexander-Arnold, who has been strongly linked with Real Madrid in recent weeks, often let Diogo Dalot run free on the wings as he was pinned in the middle by Bruno Fernandes. Andy Robertson also faced similar problems on the other side of the wing.
Liverpool struggle to outnumber Manchester United’s mid-block throughout the match. United often had five men behind the ball while Liverpool had four. This overload allowed United gain possession in crucial areas of the pitch and create multiple scoring opportunties against an elite side.
Arne Slot will not be happy to see how much time and space his team allowed United during build-ups in the post-match analysis. Other teams should take note of how Liverpool struggled to contain a 3-2-5 attacking shape. While the Liverpool fullbacks often fall deep, they do leave acres of space behind them for the opposition wide players to exploit. Amorim took advantage of it and nearly won the game for United.
