Michael Carrick will breathe a sigh of relief after seeing Bryan Mbeumo’s Ruben Amorim experiment end for Cameroon.
Cameroon played three games during this international break, and Bryan Mbeumo played in all three, in curious roles as well.
Against Comoros in the first game, he played as one of the two attacking midfielders behind the striker in a role similar to the one he played under Ruben Amorim.
In the second game against Congo, he played as a striker, but again, the team played three at the back. Their final game was against Ivory Coast, and Michael Carrick will breathe a sigh of relief at Mbeumo’s role.
Bryan Mbeumo’s Ruben Amorim experiment ends
Cameroon’s coach David Pagou is somewhat of a tinkerman, as he sent out his team in three different formations in three games.
It was a 3-4-2-1 against Comoros, which yielded a 3-1 victory, and Mbeumo was the right-sided attacking midfielder in that one.
Mbeumo scored, but the coach switched to a 3-5-1-1 formation against Congo for a 1-1 draw. Mbeumo didn’t score while playing as the lone striker, but the job was done as the team won a solid point in tough away conditions.
The final game against Ivory Coast was the best one from Carrick’s perspective because Pagou finally dropped the back-three formation.
Carrick’s 4-2-3-1 was back against Ivory Coast, and as a bonus, Mbeumo started on the right wing, which is the role he’s been playing at Old Trafford this season.
For better or for worse, Carrick has fielded Matheus Cunha up top, sliding Mbeumo to the right wing, so he will have watched the player’s stint against Ivory Coast with great interest.
Nsongo scored in Cameroon’s 1-0 victory, but Mbeumo was full of running and trickery, pinning their full-back and taking advantage of the increased space as a result.
Mbeumo’s role in a back-three formation ends at the perfect time for Carrick, as the next game against Spurs is less than a week away.
That’s a must-win game for Man Utd as they are already chasing their own tails in the league, and Spurs are winless so far in the league.
Mbeumo will need to be at his best for that one, and after staying match fit with three games, he will also arrive at Carrington as tactically fit after going back to being a RW in a back-four setup.
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