Manchester United missed out on the chance to go fifth in the Premier League after their 1-1 draw with West Ham United.
The Red Devils took some time to get going, but eventually raised the tempo and through Diogo Dalot’s goal just before the hour mark.
Man Utd switched off late on, though. And West Ham capitalised to pick up a crucial point in their relegation battle, thanks to Soungoutou Magassa.
In this article we’ll cover
Man Utd take their foot off the gas
Man Utd’s failure to win this game came largely because of the period after Dalot’s goal. West Ham looked exhausted, and there were gaps in the Hammers’ backline and midfield.
But Amorim’s changes spoke volumes of what he wanted to do for the rest of the game.
Mason Mount and Manuel Ugarte were both brought on with 11 minutes to play. It was clear the Portuguese manager simply wanted to see the game out rather than killing it.
West Ham were more stubborn to break down in the first half, so Man Utd raised the intensity in the second to score the opener. But once that came, they drastically lowered the intensity in hopes of seeing the game out.
The problem is, Man Utd don’t score enough goals from open play, so always run the risk of dropping points.
As they have in their recent spell of matches.
Amorim’s risk-averse approach cost him. Just as it did in the previous home defeat to Everton.
Diallo terrorises Diouf
It’s apparent that a lot of Man Utd’s attacks come down the right hand side. Amorim’s system needs expressive, attacking full-backs, and converted winger Amad Diallo provides that.
For most of the game, Man Utd used Noussair Mazraoui to drive forward from right centre-back to cause overloads. Malick Diouf also picked up an early yellow card, showing his troubles in dealing with Diallo.
Man Utd’s goal eventually came down Diallo’s side after the Red Devils had upped the anty. A deflected cross fell at the feet of Dalot, who converted.
Amorim’s determined use of a back three means his wing-backs flying forward are crucial to the attack and Diallo has made the role his own.
Diouf couldn’t handle him. The Ivorian created three chances, including one big chance and completed three take-ons. Amorim needs to find a player who can be similarly dangerous on the opposite wing.
Man Utd’s bluntness
Amorim’s system still feels as though it doesn’t create enough chances from open play. There are also question marks around the gaps that open up once one of the outside centre-backs push up aggressive on attackers. This is something West Ham exposed on a few occasions.
Although Man Utd’s attack was more dangerous than it was against Everton, it still feels as though teams know how to set up against Amorim. And Man Utd’s goals come more from the Red Devils increasing the potency of their attacks.
It relies on them simply having better players than their opponents, rather than the system elevating their profiles.
Man Utd registered 2.44 Expected Goals against West Ham. They had one big chance cleared off the line in the first half, while Bruno Fernandes also hit the post. But once they scored their goal, they threw the game away and opened the door for West Ham to equalise.
There are many games to come and there’s always a chance around the corner to make up for the previous mishap. But Man Utd will rue the fact that their conservative approach when leading keeps costing them points.