Ruben Amorim has made sweeping changes at Manchester United since replacing Erik ten Hag as manager.
When Erik ten Hag was sacked back in October, Ineos quickly decided that Ruben Amorim was the first choice replacement.
During his spell at Manchester United, Ten Hag failed to implement the exciting style of play used at Ajax that fans enjoyed watching. Instead, he was criticised for failing to install a team identity.
In contrast to Ten Hag, Amorim is stubbornly sticking to his tactics and will refuse to move away from his 3-4-2-1 formation.
While that has attracted criticism, the underlying stats this season show huge levels of progress.
Ruben Amorim is patching over Erik ten Hag issue
Throughout Ten Hag’s reign, United were facing too many shots and it was becoming an alarming issue.
Defensively, United were leaving far too many gaps and were facing an extreme number of shots each and every match.
Even though Amorim’s record in the Premier League is poor, the statistics prove that he is patching over Ten Hag’s major flaw.
As pointed out by The Athletic, United have conceded 46 shots in the opening five league fixtures. It ranks the Red Devils with the fifth-best record in the top flight.
It marks a huge improvement from Ten Hag’s reign, when United often ranked as one of the worst three teams in the division for shots faced.
Ruben Amorim is not getting credit for Premier League start
After five matches, United sit 11th in the Premier League table but are only three points off the top four.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 10 |  EvertonEverton |
5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 7 |
| 11 |  Manchester UnitedManchester United |
5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 8 | -2 | 7 |
| 12 |  LeedsLeeds |
5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | -3 | 7 |
Amorim is expected to finish in the top six, so United are currently not where they want to be. But when put into context, the start has not been as bad as some paint it to be.
READ MORE: Ruben Amorim lost the chance to hand a Man Utd debut this week, it could’ve started a brilliant run
United had the toughest start of any side in the Premier League when it came to the first five fixtures. Games against Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea are now out of the way, and still United are topping the charts for attacking output.
Of course, for Amorim to be considered a success, United will have to stay consistent and win games where they are strong favourites. That starts this weekend with a trip to Brentford.
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/TDdnEzl