The feeling inside Manchester United heading into the new season is one of cautious optimism. Cautious being the key word.
Once the dopamine of a £210million transfer spend on a new attack wears off and the cut and thrust of the season takes hold, some familiar problems will hold true.
But from Ruben Amorim and his coaching staff to the playing squad – who were in high spirits as a near-complete group including Joshua Zirkzee, Andre Onana and Benjamin Sesko trained on Sunday – there is a belief things can, must and will improve, starting on Sunday against Arsenal.
Goals were Amorim’s biggest source of frustration last season and there was a clear lack of them en route to finishing 15th in the Premier League, their worst season for 51 years. United ranked 16th for goals scored per match (1.2) and 12th for shots on target (4.6).
United had just one player in the top 56 Premier League scorers from open play last season – Amad Diallo with eight. They ranked dead last for headed goals (4) and second-worst for shot conversion with a strike rate of 8.33 per cent, despite taking the seventh-most shots (528). Only two United players made it into the top 50 for chances created.
The statistics made for galling reading and painted a clear picture for director of football Jason Wilcox, CEO Omar Berrada and minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe. It was obvious to them this problem needed addressing urgently.
Manchester United were desperately short of goals last season, ranking 16th in the top flight
United have spent £210million to bring in Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha
It explains why United’s three signings this summer have all come in one area: the forward line. Insiders are quietly confident in the new arrivals, bought for a combined £210m. Expensive, for sure, but Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko scored more goals combined across all competitions last season (58) than the front threes of Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham respectively.
And in Cunha and Mbeumo, who both arrived early enough to travel with United’s on their pre-season tour of the United States, they have two players who were also in the top 20 for Premier League chances created last season.
Caution is required, though. That much is clear from a pre-season that showed many positives – particularly in a 4-1 blowout win over Bournemouth – but many familiar weaknesses.
There were moments in the 1-1 draw with Fiorentina where United’s two-man midfield was left exposed as their front three pressed together. Their frailties from set-pieces also reared their ugly head again for Fiorentina’s goal. Failure to address set-piece woes will land at the feet of assistant Carlos Fernandes.
Bruno Fernandes and Amad, arguably United’s two best performers last season, are both best suited to one of the No 10 roles, yet this season Fernandes will play deeper in a midfield two and Amad at right wing-back.
For all their upside, both players present tactical dilemmas for United. It is also hard to know who should play alongside Fernandes in midfield given Manuel Ugarte, Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo have all struggled at times in pre-season.
Interest in Brighton’s Carlos Baleba comes as no surprise as Amorim seeks greater pace, power and intensity from the two midfielders tasked with anchoring his 3-4-3 system.
That aggressive press, which effectively sees United in a 5-2-3 shape, can lead to huge problems if the front three are bypassed easily. Arsenal may exploit that on Sunday by overwhelming Amorim’s two-man midfield with the likes of Martin Zubimendi, Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard and Myles Lewis-Skelly all moving into central areas. As soon as United’s front three are out of the game, the four Arsenal players will only have two midfielders to get through – and one of them, Fernandes, is not in the side for his defensive contribution. So a tweak may well be needed.
Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte (25) have failed to impress in central midfield during pre-season
United would like to sign Brighton’s Carlos Baleba as a solution to their defensive midfield woes
In Amorim’s first game in charge of United, at Ipswich last November, it was clear he was having to direct players to take up the positions he wanted. There was some confusion, he said later, and that confusion is still present in some phases of games.
With United out of Europe this season they will only play one game per week and that will mean more time on the training pitch for Amorim and his players.
This is important not only for integrating new players into the setup but also so Amorim can do more of his detailed tactical walk-throughs. Players are physically moved into specific positions for phases with and without the ball. It is vital his messaging now translates into games.
‘The thing I like the most is now there’s going to be no excuses,’ Diogo Dalot, one of the newly appointed six-man leadership group, said last week. ‘Ultimately, the thing that will define us is what we do on the pitch. I think what is going to bring joy to the fans, joy to ourselves, is winning games.
‘We’re getting all the conditions (at Carrington) to put us in the best position to win. Then we just have to make that final step. I think we will reach a point, hopefully, where we can almost play with our eyes closed. We know where everybody is going to be on the pitch.’
Amorim’s coaching has yielded at least some rewards so far. Leny Yoro, 19, has improved significantly since becoming a mainstay in the team. Patrick Dorgu was one of the biggest winners of pre-season and looks set to offer better balance and more of an attacking threat at left wing-back than he did in his first six months.
United’s fitness has improved immeasurably, too – the use of STATSports’ Apex 2.0 GPS performance tracker vests worn by the players serves Amorim and his staff with extremely detailed information on who is and who isn’t running hard. GPS data from training sessions is fired back to an iPad for Amorim, his coaches and analysts in real time, leaving players with no hiding place. Those falling short of the required standards are called out in front of the group.
But what United haven’t yet been able to solve this summer is their lack of attacking fluidity and the over-reliance on ‘moments’ of individual brilliance.
Leny Yoro is blossoming into a fine central defender and will be key to how United fare this term
Patrick Dorgu impressed in pre-season and should prove more of an attacking threat from now
United ranked first in the league last season for successful passes in their own half, making 8,845, but that is a symptom of using a flat back five and playing at a pace that was no threat to opponents. It was a further sign they struggled for creativity and ideas.
The hope this season is that a fitter squad will have a clearer idea of how to play in Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system, which the United boss has no plans to shelve any time soon. The plan is to play on the front foot with attacking wing-backs in Dorgu and Amad, and move quicker in transition through Cunha and Mbeumo. Each of the three new arrivals are expected to help address United’s dreadful conversion rate in front of goal.
But a goalkeeping department that doesn’t inspire confidence, slow build-up play and an unconventional midfield pairing that is too often easy to play through will give Arsenal hope that Sunday will not be the brave new dawn United fans are waiting for.
‘I can feel the improvements in the environment now the right details are in place to help us all be better,’ Amorim wrote in his programme notes at the weekend. ‘The players we worked with last season are looking stronger and we have made important additions to the squad. We can all see the confidence in the group is growing and we feel like a different team already.’
We will find out on Sunday afternoon, against an Arsenal side themselves under massive pressure, for the proof of the pudding is in the eating.