Manchester United achieved a narrow 3-2 victory on Ipswich on Wednesday.
Three set pieces supplied by Bruno Fernandes turned out to be the difference against the relegation patlers of Kieran McKenna.
But Ruben Amorim still remained with a number of problems to solve.
The most striking of all is the shocking defensive vulnerability that can be seen both the back line and the goalkeeper.
In the meantime, they remain painfully toothless in open play with Rasmus Hojlund who continues to struggle, even before Utd went to ten men after Patrick Dorgu's was sent.
Below we analyze five important points of the victory over Ipswich.
Defensive profiles are not good for a back three
Man Utd who plays almost exclusively in a rear three, should not come as a surprise for anyone or outside the club after the appointment of Amorim.
He used that system during his coaching career and very rarely used a back four.
The issue is the profiles of the central defenders who have Amorim at his disposal, do not lend themselves to playing in the system.
Undoubtedly Leny Yoro, a young player who is still developing, has the athletic ability to play as one of the broad central defenders, although it still requires very specific skills.
Those players must be mobile and athletic enough to defend when isolated and in the space in the wide areas.
Yoro played on the left against Ipswich and looked relatively comfortable.
Elsewhere, Matthijs de Ligt played on the right to house Harry Maguire who plays as the central player in the rear three.
De Ligt is a very good defensive player, but his profile is like a right -sided central defender in a rear four or as the central defender in a rear three.
He lacks mobility, speed and athletics to be able to defend effectively when he is drawn in broad areas.
While Amorim tries to get both Maguire and De Ligt in the starting line-up, this means that one of the two should play in a role that they do not feel comfortable with.
Bruno Fernandes must play deeper
When Amorim was initially appointed as one of the most urgent questions that had to be answered from a tactical point of view, it was surrounding the specific role that Fernandes would play for him.
Fernandes, the captain of United, was already very familiar with the system that Amorim preferred, because he is a sporty Lisbon fan that had often viewed them after his departure.
In the early stages we have seen Fernandes for the most part as one of the two advanced midfielders behind the rush.
However, there is a very real argument that his best role in this system would be one of the two deeper midfielders.
And against Ipswich this is where it was used and with great effect.
Although he is not a particularly defensive midfielder, he is one of the most aggressive and effective passers in the Premier League and his ability to quickly get on the ball and get ahead in half of the opposition and the last third part can create real value for Man Utd.
Against Ipswich we regularly saw him falling in his own defensive third to go to the ball before we then fit to hurt the opposition.
Ball progression from deeper areas is one of the biggest problems for United Understal Under Amorim and when moving Fernandes to deeper areas where he can influence this, we have seen the coach move to solve the problem.
This should probably be the role of the Portuguese midfielder, but as discussed about tactics that are exposed, “Steven Gerrard Syndrome” must be submitted for the team to do better.
Joshua Zirkzee Unlock
Signing Joshua Zirkzee in the summer was an interesting move for Man Utd.
Although he had just enjoyed a strong season for the goal for Bologna, Zirkzee was never really seen as an out and off striker.
He is never really convinced when he is played by Amorim or his predecessor, Erik ten Hag, as the only striker.
But in recent weeks, partly due to injuries and profile needs, we have seen Zirkzee as one of the two most advanced midfielders behind the striker who has potentially unlocked his potential.
By playing deeper, Zirkzee can use its size and technical possibility to really influence the game.
He shows a very strong positional feeling when moving the last third part and finding bags of space that he can occupy to receive the ball from teammates.
He has the opportunity to receive and keep defenders, while he combines and brings teammates in the game.
While some other players who have played as one of the two behind the strikers, such as Amad Diallo or Alejandro Garnacho are more traditional wing players, we see Zirkzee taking more natural positions centrally when he is used to that kind of role.
There is every chance that the Dutch international will play a key role for United from now on until the end of the season.
Solving a problem such as Rasmus Hojlund
Maybe that is too hard on Rasmus Hojlund.
The Danish striker is sometimes impressed since he participated from Atalanta, but he still has to make a consistent series of games in which he really grabs a game and makes a decisive difference in the last third part.
One of the most regular punches on Hojlund is that he does not make enough shots for a striker with his physical gifts.
Although the figures are not in this respect, it is part of a more substantial problem and a re -seen in the match against Ipswich.
Hojlund has the habit not to stay high enough and not to give his team a platform to play in as the only striker.
He has the pace and the strength to be dangerous when playing on the last shoulder, but he wants to get into deeper positions from the front line to look for the ball.
Although this is good at points, it means that United is missing a presence on the last rule and it happens too often.
Hojlund must show better offensive instincts and more effective positioning as a striker if he wants to prove that he is really the answer to United's target problem.
United must continue to use set pieces
Set pieces were the key for United in this match with all three their goals, one own goal and two of central defenders, which came as a result of set pieces.
Given that Arsenal and Liverpool in particular are as effective when it comes to the use of set pieces, this is part of the game on which United must continue to build.
This is especially important for a team like United that has difficulty getting regular goals from their central strikers.
Against Ipswich, the delivery of these situations of Fernandes (that man again) was the key and although their routines were not too creative, they were effective.
When United goes back to the Premier League table and ends this season with a trophy, it feels important that they are able to get the most out of these possibilities to create opportunities.
Strong Set -piece preparation and good version is an area in which United can quickly make marginal profit in terms of the opportunities they can create.
Conclusion
It is difficult to be too critical about United in a game they have won, but there are still clear signs that they do not have the right profiles in their team to play the way Amorim wants.
Time and strong recruitment will be needed, but there were still some interesting points in the match against Ipswich.
Are lessons learned for Sunday's collision with Fulham?
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