Ruben Amorim’s memorable line about the Pope and changing his system is often presented without the important follow-up.
“There will be an evolution, but we need to make all the good steps,” added Manchester United’s head coach in that press conference in September.
“When you think about the impact that any decision is going to have on the team, everything is important. I am doing things my way and some guys do it in a different way. But it will change. I hope to have the time to change, but it will change.”
Amorim’s words were in line with his previous comments about adapting the back-three system when he felt it was the right time.
The reality about formations is that they change throughout the match, depending on the phase of play, such as build-up, high press, or low block. For example, Manchester United have frequently pressed in a 4-4-2 since Amorim’s arrival in November 2024.
However, there have been changes in the team’s shape in the last couple of games. In the build-up and progression phases against Bournemouth, Amad was in a higher position than Dalot (a lopsided 3-4-3), and in the 1-0 victory against Newcastle United on Friday, Manchester United’s shape on the ball resembled a lopsided 4-2-3-1, with Matheus Cunha roaming inside from the left wing.
Amorim has evolved his approach in recent weeks (Carl Recine/Getty Images)
The biggest tweak, though, has been the team’s shape when defending in a medium block by the halfway line. It was a 4-4-2 in the 4-4 draw against Bournemouth, a 4-3-3 away to Aston Villa last week, and a 4-2-3-1 against Newcastle at Old Trafford — a definite deviation from the usual back five. The latter guided Manchester United to their most recent victory, even if they were made to suffer in the second half.
Considering how Newcastle’s midfield three operates, the move towards a 4-2-3-1 shape when defending in a medium block made sense.
In the first half, Mason Mount, Manuel Ugarte and Casemiro marked their midfield counterparts, with Lisandro Martinez or Ayden Heaven pushing up towards Nick Woltemade, if the centre-forward dropped.
Ugarte, Casemiro and Mount limited the impact of Bruno Guimaraes, Jacob Ramsey and Sandro Tonali by tracking their movement and knowing when to press them.
In this example, Newcastle are combining down their right wing, with Ugarte jumping towards Guimaraes and Casemiro marking Ramsey. Fabian Schar’s overload forces Luke Shaw to move up, leaving Martinez to pick up Jacob Murphy.
As a result, Manchester United’s centre-backs need to shift across, creating a gap in the defensive line. Ramsey tries to attack that space, but Casemiro follows him closely and forces Ramsey into a weak header.
In addition, Casemiro and Ugarte regularly dropped to support the back four when Eddie Howe’s side were in crossing positions.
Here, the Brazil midfielder spots the gap in Manchester United’s defensive line when Diogo Dalot moves wide, and drops to defend the near-post zone.
In theory, the disadvantage of man-marking Newcastle’s midfield is that Mount, Ugarte and Casemiro’s positions can be manipulated to create space between the lines. However, Amorim’s side knew when to switch markers and constantly picked up Newcastle’s players between the lines.
In this example, Manchester United’s midfielders are in advanced positions to track Guimaraes, Ramsey and Tonali. Meanwhile, Murphy roams inside to attack the gap in midfield, but Manchester United’s left side smartly defuses the situation.
Shaw drops deeper to defend Lewis Miley, while Martinez and Cunha collapse on Murphy as Schar attempts to find the right-winger.
The shackling of Newcastle’s attacking threat in the first 45 minutes was completed by Manchester United’s wingers, Patrick Dorgu and Cunha, who regularly dropped to support their full-backs — a necessity when taking into account how vital Newcastle’s full-backs are to their team’s attack.
From a defensive perspective, Manchester United’s first half against Newcastle was one of the team’s best displays under Amorim, but they needed bodies on the line after half-time to clinch the three points.
Towards the hour mark, Amorim introduced Joshua Zirkzee and Leny Yoro in place of Benjamin Sesko and Casemiro, keeping the same formation but changing the profiles of the wingers. Dalot was pushed forward on the right and Dorgu moved across to the left flank.
The idea was that Dalot and Dorgu’s defensive profiles would support Manchester United’s full-backs, Yoro and Shaw, against Newcastle’s constant threat down the wide areas.
Amorim said he substituted Casemiro because Cunha could offer the team an outlet on transitions, Jack Fletcher and Ugarte were fresher than the Brazil midfielder, and Newcastle “were making a lot of corner runs”.
The physical and mental fatigue shouldn’t be ignored when defending in a deep block for a long period, which partly explains why Manchester United kept losing Newcastle’s holding midfielder as the second half went on.
Guimaraes — and earlier Tonali — weren’t marked as tightly as in the first half, and their off-ball movement facilitated Newcastle’s attack, especially in the last 10 minutes of normal time.
Here, midway through the second half, Tonali’s positioning inside the penalty area occupies Ugarte, distancing the Uruguay midfielder from Anthony Gordon, who is overloading the right side.
As Newcastle’s wide combinations grab the attention of Fletcher, Dorgu and Shaw, Gordon attacks the space behind Manchester United’s left-back, with Ugarte unable to defend him.
Murphy finds Gordon’s run, but the latter’s shot misses the target.
In another example, Guimaraes sneaks behind Cunha and Zirkzee to attack the space between the lines. Again, Newcastle’s wide combinations occupy Fletcher, Dorgu and Shaw, creating a bigger space for Guimaraes.
As Miley plays the ball to the Brazil midfielder, Harvey Barnes attacks the space behind Shaw, who is moving in the opposite direction to defend Guimaraes. Meanwhile, Ugarte is marking Joelinton, which means Gordon’s central overload is untracked.
Guimaraes and Barnes combine to find Gordon in space, but the forward’s shot misses the target.
“The feeling is good, but if you compare to other games, we suffer so much more today,” said Amorim after the match. “But in certain moments, we put everything on the line — we were putting our body in front of the goal, we were defending every cross.
“That is a good feeling to have, but if you look at the game, we had so many games where we controlled the opponent so much better.”
The keyword here is control — United’s lack of possession in the second half kept them in a defensive statem which eventually drains the legs and the mind. The caveat is the number and quality of players that Amorim’s side is missing, but controlling matches when ahead is something the team is still working on.
Whether it’s a back three, back four or a back five, what’s important is how Manchester United operate inside those frameworks.