Carragher claims Amorim tactical approach’s ‘weakness’ after debut Ipswich tie

Jamie Carragher has revealed what he believes are the 'weak points' of Ruben Amorim's tactical setup at Manchester United.

Amorim got his first taste of English football on Sunday at Ipswich Town, where the new-look United were held to a 1-1 draw in a 3-4-3 system.

Marcus Rashford's early opener inside two minutes gave Amorim the perfect start to his reign, only for Ipswich to force themselves back into the game, with Omari Hutchinson scoring a stunning long-range effort before half-time.

Speaking on Sky Sports' Monday Night Football show, Carragher took the opportunity to dissect Amorim's tactical setup and revealed what he believes is their downfall.

He said: 'I hear many managers, including Ruben Amorim, say that systems don't matter much. I believe it is, no matter how many times managers tell me it isn't, because why are you playing a different system? Different systems offer you different things in different areas.

'For me the weaknesses are in these spaces, on either side of the two central midfielders. The reason for this is that if you play a conventional back four, your wide man can cut in and help.

“But because you play a back three, when they get the ball they naturally go wider and wing backs get wider and higher. It means there is a lot more space around these two central midfielders, especially if the two attacking tens don't drop back. The same problems were also present on the Ipswich side.

'The big problem is: should a midfielder come along to fill that space, or should a central defender be added?

“We were listening to Ruben Amorim after the game and he talked a lot about Jonny Evans not making the jump into space to pick a guy up. Because they played the same system, it almost became a man-to-man game. Football has become that.'

Shared revenue saw United climb to 12th in the standings and although it was a mixed performance, Amorim's favored 3-4-3 system did get some joy against Ipswich.

The attacking formation is new for United's stars and will need time to adapt – as Amorim admitted – as the former Sporting Lisbon boss was only given a few days of training to work with his squad before taking charge for the first time had.

Amorim praised his players for trying to understand his vision after such a short time together.

After the match, Amorim said: 'Bruno Fernandes, I think he has improved his game by playing closer to the ball and feeling the ball so that sometimes he can give us the long pass.

“But you can't put him there all the time because he wants the long pass all the time. So we're trying to find things about the players, we're going to need a lot of time to work these things out.

'Sometimes people talk about the 3-4-3, that's not what it's about. The system is the system, but the understanding of the game is what we need to improve a lot in this area.”

Meanwhile, Diogo Dalot praised the immediate impact of 'big personality' Amorim and claimed the new boss is exactly what Manchester United need to get back to the top.

“It went very well,” Dalot said. 'He made an immediate impression, in terms of his philosophy and the way he wants us to play.

'It fits the club's standards. High intensity football and hard work for the team. We just have to put it into practice now.'