Opinion: Better to judge Man Utd in next trip to the Emirates Stadium

Fairer to judge Reds on next Emirates visit

Thursday 05 December 2024 09:00

Facing an Arsenal side hoping to end a long wait for a Premier League title, away from home, was always going to be a difficult proposition for a project at Manchester United that is very much a work in progress.

New head coach Ruben Amorim has had precious little time at Carrington to fully immerse his squad in his methodology, with the structure markedly different to the one used under previous manager Erik ten Hag.

His opening fixture, at Ipswich Town, came on the back of an international break that included Manuel Ugarte and Alejandro Garnacho competing in World Cup qualifiers in South America. Pleasing wins over Bodo/Glimt, in the Europa League, and Everton followed, bagging seven goals in the process but Amorim warned to judge the performance, not merely the result after the convincing triumph over the Toffees.

While there was little by way of goalmouth action in the goalless first half at the Emirates Stadium, goals from Jurrien Timber and William Saliba, both from corners, made for an unhappy night in the rainy capital.

Amorim: Don't just look at the result Video

Ruben Amorim says the Reds must assess what was lacking in our defeat at Arsenal, and apply it moving forward...

Even if all the time available to train at our base had been spent trying to fathom a way of nullifying the Gunners' incredible set-piece threat, it may not have been enough. The home crowd near me genuinely expected a goal every time their team were awarded a flag-kick, and this happened 13 times over the 90 minutes.

Mikel Arteta and his staff have perfected routines and blocking techniques that would not look out of place in the NFL but there is little point complaining about it. Their nous in this area, even without the aggressive aerial prowess of Gabriel, was the deciding factor here.

Amorim had warned a storm was coming and I was typing a post for our live blog to say that very thing when Timber headed home. Yet the boss admitted in his press conference that he needs to choose his words carefully, with his honesty a feature of his interviews.

"I have to be careful what I say," he stated. "If you follow football, you understand these moments and know what can happen in this moment. Sometimes, I'm too strong with the words I'm saying."

I had the privilege of attending a candid chat with Ruben earlier this week, when he spoke to the club's staff at Old Trafford.

His frank and genuine words, plus some really personal insight, made for an absorbing listen and was easy to see why his charismatic personality can help build teams who go into battle fighting for each other and for the badge. 

Most, if not all, fans appreciate the situation of a new man, with fresh methods, taking over midway through a season without the chance to properly drill his troops.

There is no let up in the schedule, with the tests coming at every turn, but you hope we will see a fairer reflection of Amorim's vision when we next head to Arsenal. The Emirates FA Cup third-round draw was not a kind one (thanks Dion Dublin!) and, early in the new year, another examination in north London will take place for United, the holders. Admittedly, there will not be as much time spent on the training ground as he would like.

However, by then, there may be more of the attacking thrust displayed consistently that we witnessed against Everton, as the players learn this way of playing. Defending the Gunners' set-pieces will still be a massive challenge but limiting the amount of corners we concede could be a starting point as we aim to progress, in more ways than one.

It's very early days and patience is required, but it is not difficult to see some of Amorim's tactical ideas beginning to work.

The opinions in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Manchester United Football Club.

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