Many had written Ruben Amorim off.
After a chastising defeat to set-piece specialists Brentford, even the staunchest of Manchester United fans would’ve agreed that it looked like the writing was on the wall.
The pressure was engulfing Amorim with each defeat, but the turnaround has been remarkable.
Four wins in five have helped the Red Devils turn their fortunes around. Their new attack finally clicking has more than played its part. There has been plenty of coverage around Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo’s attacking impact on the team. But what many are missing is their importance without the ball.
In this article, we’ll cover:
Man Utd’s agressive 4-4-2 press
Earlier in the season, teams were finding acres of space in Man Utd’s midfield. But Amorim has made changes to the way his team functions out of possession. And that was worked due to Man Utd’s bravery and ability to stop teams from building up through the back centrally.
The Brighton and Hove Albion game was a great example of this, with Luke Shaw following a dropping Georginio Rutter. As a result, Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes were left two-on-two against Carlos Baleba and Yasin Ayari. This left the front two to sit off and block the passing lanes into Brighton’s midfield.
Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko sat off and made sure the pass into Baleba or Ayari was blocked. It stopped Brighton from finding space in the middle. And with a Man Utd centre-back bravely covering the pass into the striker, it didn’t give Brighton many options.
It’s a brave approach. And while Brighton found space in the opening 10 minutes, Man Utd scored twice as a result of being brave.
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The Red Devils’ forward line had squeezed Brighton defence. So when the Seagulls attempted to pass directly to a striker, the ball was turned over. And Man Utd quickly broke for both Casemiro and Mbeumo to convert.
Cunha and Mbeumo were able to interchange to join Sesko as the second striker to pin back Brighton’s centre-backs. It then allowed the other player not in the front line to form the four in midfield.
This was important as the opposition central midfielders rarely had the space to get on the ball and turn.
Brighton eventually resulted in either Rutter or Danny Welbeck trying to dribble past two or three players in the centre circle. But they were often crowded out by Man Utd’s midfield duo and the spare centre-back. The positioning of Man Utd’s attackers possible.
Cunha and Mbeumo’s importance in and out of possession
Scoring goals has been a problem for Man Utd since 2022-23, when they relied heavily on Marcus Rashford’s form.
They signed Mbeumo and Cunha in the summer to address this issue. But both have brought a lot more to the table than just goals. They’re a crucial cog in everything Man Utd do.
Both players drop into the half-space in midfield. So two opposition players have to always mark them, on either side of the central midfielders.
It also means they are an option to receive the ball directly from Man Utd’s three centre backs. Rather than joining Sesko to push up on the opposition’s defensive line.
It congests the middle of the pitch and allows the Red Devils to suck in many players into the centre of the pitch. This creates space out wide and in behind.
For instance, when Brighton’s front three pressed Man Utd’s back three, Shaw had the option to pass to Cunha. The Brazilan could then turn, spin his man and drive towards goal.
Mbeumo and Cunha dropping as two No.10s also gives Man Utd an option to go long, as they often have. The overlappint full-back and Sesko are the options, utilising the fact that teams are committing men in the press and having to occupy Cunha and Mbeumo.
You can already see how the work Cunha and Mbeumo do off the ball is having a ripple effect on Man Utd’s attack.
Early in the first half against Brighton, Mats Wieffer had managed to find space behind Man Utd’s back three. It was a familiar sight to the Old Trafford faithful. But as he went to cross the ball, Cunha ran back 40 yards to slide in and intercept. It typifies both players’ work rate.
When either attacker is wide to press an opposition full-back, the Man Urd full-backs can be ready to close down any ball played up to the winger.
This particularly happens on Cunha’s side. Whenever Brighton played it across to Wieffer, Cunha would press him. If Wieffer played the ball up to Ferdi Kadioglu on the wing, Diogo Dalot was quick to track him.
It affords the opponent less space and smothers them.
We shouldn’t be surprised at how smart both are out of possession. They come from Brentford and Wolverhampton Wanders, two teams that have become Premier League regulars because of their off-the-ball work.
The goalscoring charts may show that Mbeumo and Cunha are putting the ball in the back of the net. But they are elevating this side with the other parts of their terrific overall game.