At the end of the year, families of Manchester United players attended an open training session at the Carrington base and enjoyed refreshments in the alumni lounge next to the pitches.

United lost at home to Newcastle United the day before, extending their losing streak to four matches in a row. Sharp-tongued fans joked that inviting relatives to watch even more football could be both festive fun and mid-season punishment.

However, this special morning organized by the player care team can now be seen as an attempt to lift spirits during a difficult period for the club.

The families of the players have been hosted at Carrington before. During the time of Erik ten Gag, barbecues were held there in the summer, on Halloween and at Christmas. This time the focus was on football, giving relatives a chance to see what training looks like under new head coach Ruben Amorim.

After that event, United played two games that changed the atmosphere in the team and gave the fans hope that, given time to implement his ideas, Amorim could succeed.

A 2-2 draw against Liverpool followed by a penalty shoot-out win over Arsenal, despite being in the minority for over an hour, showed the character and high quality of the game. However, Amorim refrained from drawing any conclusions ahead of the match against Southampton. “This game will give me more information about my players than the previous two, so I’m focused on seeing how our game will be,” he told a press conference. “In the previous two matches, not much was expected of us, but now everyone expects us to win and show a good game.”

He hoped that the team would show the same level of return as in the 91st minute of the game at the Emirates. It was a perfect example of what Amorim demands from his players in training: to come back with intensity after losing the ball in the opponent’s half of the field.

At 90:08, when David Raya brings the ball into play after a Bruno Fernandes free-kick, United’s players in blue immediately rush to press.

Matthijs de Ligt stands out among the returning…

… covering 66 meters in eight seconds at an average speed of 29.6 km/h…

… to have time to block Raheem Sterling’s shot, although Nussair Mazraoui made a crucial intervention.

Given that the top speed achieved by any player over any distance this season is 37.1 km/h (the record is held by Mickey van de Veen, according to Premier League statistics), the stable De Ligt’s speed is impressive. It backs up why Erik ten Gag believed Mattheis could play in a system with a high defensive line, which Amorim, in turn, is also looking to implement.

Joshua Zirkze also tried his best to come back. On the edge of Arsenal’s box when Raya caught the ball, Zirkze raced to the edge of the United penalty area to make the first tackle on Sterling, slowing him down.

Lisandro Martinez and Harry Maguire were also back in time when the ball found its way to Martin Edegore, whose misplaced touch allowed Toby Collier to knock it 50 meters out. All of United’s players were in that small area of ​​the pitch, outnumbering Arsenal 10 to 5. It was the perfect embodiment of Amorim’s requirement to “run like mad dogs”, which he spoke of in a press conference last month.

Before the Southampton game, Amorim noted that it is easier to go all out against a top team, especially in a play-off game, than against a team at the bottom of the Premier League table, when the consequences of a bad result are not so obvious.

Amorim constantly emphasizes that the reason for the latest progress is one of desire, not tactics. That’s partially true, but it also feels like a message to his players. He backed it up by praising Maguire for playing 104 minutes against Arsenal after missing two training days through illness. “He was exhausted at the end, and that’s what I want to see from every player,” Amorim said.

Selecting the right performers also plays a role. That’s why he dropped Collier, who usually covers 12 to 13 kilometers a game, in place of Casemiro or Christian Eriksen, who struggled in midfield against Newcastle.

This can explain his tough approach to Marcus Rashford. Amorim’s decision to leave the striker out of the squad for the Manchester derby in December sent an important signal to the team. It was a clear boundary in terms of attitude towards training and performance in matches. The players supported Amorim’s attempt to set the standard, even if it cost the team the talent of Rashford.

Amorim is demanding, but he also has a sense of the players, because he only finished his career in 2017. He knows how to convey his ideas in such a way as to attract people to their implementation.

Obviously, two consecutive weeks of training also came in handy. After the Newcastle game, he noted that he had only had four full sessions at United before that. Since then, he managed to spend two busy weeks of work. The players have been at Carrington every day this week to prepare in detail for the game against Southampton, instead of being given the day off after the Arsenal game.

Standard provisions have become a key element of United’s training. Before matches, they practice free kicks and corner kicks. The progress is noticeable – in the FA Cup match with Arsenal, the team handled the innings better than in the championship game.

Amorim understands that a style like playing at the Emirates is not suitable on a permanent basis. He has already spoken of Maguire’s superiority in the air, but noted that in the future United will play with three full-backs, rather than four, as they did when United were in defence. Arsenal tried to create intensity through crosses, but with Harry in the middle it was under control.

Amorim strives for the development of the team: the transition to a trio of defenders will allow a wider and bolder attack. In training, he emphasizes building the game in the final third. “It’s the most difficult thing – to create chances in crucial areas. Against Arsenal we were waiting for an opponent, but in the future we will focus on something else.”

Amorim’s approach also changed the distribution of attacks. In a short time, the share of actions on the left wing increased to 47% – the highest indicator in the league. For comparison, under Gaga, this share was 36%. Attacks through the center make up only 22% – the lowest result in the Premier League, which is logical for a scheme with wingbacks and wide “tens”.

The transfer map in the match against “Liverpool” illustrates how the players concentrated mainly on the left flank. Kobbi Mainu and Manuel Ugarte often joined Bruno Fernandes in building attacks, leaving Amado isolated to quickly switch play to the opposite side.

Diogo Dalot’s performance at Anfield was one of the reasons why Manchester United almost won. In training, Amorim worked out the interaction between Dalot and the left attacking midfielder oh, what Fernandez was in this case. His task was to position himself in such a way as to attract the opposition’s central midfielder and create space for one-on-one duels against Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Dalot has shown that he is capable of playing at left wing-back, although United are still looking for reinforcements in that role. Luke Shaw could return from injury in a few weeks, according to Amorim. The irony is that Dalot was sent off against Arsenal when the manager moved him to the right wing.

Dalot missed the game against Southampton due to suspension – his first absence in 57 consecutive matches. He last missed a game after two yellow cards for arguing with the referee in December 2023, against Liverpool. Despite all the difficulties at Manchester United, Amorim continued to trust Dalot because of his stability.

Against Arsenal on Sunday, Dalot lost his cool again with a reckless tackle on Mikel Merino, prompting a change at right wing-back. Amorim did not change the system, but adapted the composition: first he transferred Alejandro Garnacho to this role, and later Amada, when he entered the field.

The last seven minutes of added time became even more difficult, with Lisandro Martinez moved to center forward and Collier to right wing-back for more reliability. This was on the advice of Amorim’s assistant, Adelio Candido. During one of the breaks, Fernandez approached the coach and reported that Martinez had run out of strength.

“This is teamwork,” Amorim explained. “Martinez couldn’t run anymore. Bruno said he was very tired. And in defense, if you make one mistake, it’s all gone. So it’s better to make changes. At first we took Bruno’s words into account. Then we decided that Amad can play defensive functions, and You will stay ahead. My assistant Adelio suggested changing the scheme and we did it. It was not just my decision – everyone was watching the game closely.”

Amorim will insist that this team approach continues until the end of the season.

Translation and adaptation of The Athletic article