Despite it being only his second game in charge, Man Utd made some good strides in the right direction under Ruben AmorHIM (😉) in their entertaining 3-2 win over the Norwegians.
Amorim shuffled the pack as he made 6 changes to the team that started at Ipswich and we saw quite a lot of improvement. There were more positives to take away from this win than negatives.
A good start to life at Old Trafford.
1. New tactics
Other than the obvious, I noticed that there was something a little different that we saw in this game compared to Amorim's first and something that we didn't see so specifically under Erik ten Hag.
A lot of the time, United seemed to look for the daigonal ball from centre-back to left wing-back. Matthijs De Ligt was tasked with this ball to his fellow countryman Tyrell Malacia (who made his first appearance since the 2-1 win over Fulham at the end of the 22/23 season).
De Ligt almost always played that switch to Malacia and isn't something that we saw that much from the centre-back before. He would usually keep it simple and not play such a pass.
This tactic was reported as something that United have been working on under Amorim and it was there for all to see.
Something else that was a little different to the norm was what we saw in the second half with Diogo Dalot and Alejandro Garnacho.
It appeared as if the full-back and winger were asked to do some sort of a swap role at times.
Whenever United had the ball and looked to go forward, it was Dalot who was playing in one of the number 10 roles instead of Garnacho who started in that position.
When we built up from the back, it was usually Dalot who was the man a little deeper than his 20-year-old team-mate.
At other times, whenever Bodo/Glimt went forward, we saw Garnacho do a lot of tracking back and defensive work. He had a really great block from an attempted cross from Bodo which could've resulted in a goal scoring opportunity.
That work rate isn't something we often associate with Garnacho so it was good to see. This also helps him a lot because should he want to play more under Amorim, this work rate is of utmost importance given how vital those wide players are in this system.
Just as a side note, how poor was Dalot's passing? He got us into trouble quite a few times and even Andre Onana had to bail him out by having to come out of his goal and risk an open net.
The Portuguese definitely has to improve because there is a chance he could lose his place playing the way he is.
2. Bruno as number 8 didn't work
We've seen the captain play this role before but despite wearing the number 8 on his back, he doesn't actually work in that position.
He is another player who can 'do a job' when tasked with playing somewhere different and will always give his best, but he doesn't understand that role as much as he does the CAM position which he is a lot more used to.
I find that this also takes away from his best attributes as we know how creative he is going forward. Playing him deeper takes away this threat because he is further away from the goal.
Perhaps Amorim wanted some creativity from a little deeper which is why he played Bruno there but it didn't work.
Another issue with this is that Bruno doesn't really understand the defensive duties required of that position.
I know that this is a problem regardless of who plays there but as it was Bruno, he was tasked with tracking the Bodo midfielders whenever they went forward.
When looking at their first goal, the MUFC skipper didn't track back allowing Hakon Evjen to be unmarked on the edge of the box for the cut back. He then put the ball into the top corner with a beautiful finish.
The captain needs to be further forward where we can get the best out of him and play someone who is more of a specialist in that number 8 position.
3. Better with an actual striker
Rasmus Hojlund makes such a difference to our team as we look much better with him in the side.
When Rashford was up top at Ipswich (and when he plays there every other game) he just doesn't tick the boxes needed of a centre-forward. The manager also said that it is a position that "is not the best for him."
Hojlund was a lot more at home up front than Rashford and Amorim even brought the number 10 on as a CAM instead of a replacement for the Dane, which was a little surprising.
But what Hojlund did a lot better in this game was hold the ball up well, was better in the link up play and caused the Bodo/Glimt defenders more problems.
The team look a lot more settled and comfortable with him as the number 9.
Much like Rashford though, if you give him the chances, he will score.
His first effort was a half chance at best yet he still tucked it away pretty well. The second goal was a lot more straightforward but it was exactly what the striker wants. Hojlund's conversion rate is also superb as in this match, he only had these two chances but took them both.
Hojlund also said post-match to TNT Sports that "for me this system reminds me of how I played in a 3-4-3 at Atalanta. It suits me well." It showed in this win so hopefully we can start to see more performances like these from Hojlund.
However, while it was a strong display from the 21-year-old, the manager felt that he could still improve. “Hojlund has to improve more, he takes to many touches when he holds the ball."
Even still, a strong showing from Hojlund in his first start under the new boss.
4. High press worked well
Sticking with Hojlund and I want to bring Mason Mount into this as well, the pair of them were so important (and really good) in the high press.
This was something new that we started to see with Erik ten Hag earlier in the season. Mount was pivotal in the press for the Dutchman as well.
United get a lot of chances from these situations because they cause a lot of panic whenever they press high and press well. The first goal was a case-in-point. Hojlund's pressure on the Bodo goalkeeper resulted in that tap-in for Garnacho. That wouldn't have been possible had the striker not put pressure on the goalkeeper. This is also something else that Hojlund brings over the other strikers: a good high press.
Mount also suits this tactic really well and makes us a lot better at it. I thought that he and Hojlund together were seriously good when United implemented this high press.
It wasn't quite so effective when Mount came off and Rashford came on indicating even further how good the number 7 is at this tactic.
5. The third goal
This is exactly what we're crying out for at United.
How we worked the ball down the right for the third goal was brilliant and the type of goal we need to be scoring more.
After some good play down the right which involved Antony, Mount and Ugarte, it saw the ball come to the Uruguayan in space on the edge of the right-hand side of the box. He then played a simple cross into Hojlund who slotted the ball into the bottom corner with an easy side-foot finish.
This isn't the type of goal one associates with United that often. Most of the time, it is a strike from distance or a moment of brilliance that gets us a goal. These sort of well worked, incisive, pass and move plays aren't something we see enough with our team.
Ruben Amorim would've been happy with this goal because at Sporting, these were the type of goals his team were scoring. They would work it well, get it out wide and play the cross in (which they did a lot) and resulted in striker Viktor Gyokeres scoring many goals.
This type of opportunity gives you more of a chance of scoring rather than a strike from distance.
We need to see more of these goals.
This was a performance to build upon for Amorim for the future. It was obviously not the finished product but it still provided us with an idea of what the manager is trying to do.
Everton on Sunday is a quick turnaround but gives us another opportunity to implement this style sooner rather than later.
Background Image: Alejandro Garnacho scores against Bodo/Glimt | Image via Manchester United official X (@ManUtd)