Going long and direct
I tracked how United doubled their long passing and cut touches in their own third, then leaned even harder on the goalkeeper to bypass the press, a method that progressed the ball quickly but rarely produced quality chances.
The posts
- Opinion Carrick's struggles don't vindicate Amorim or Ten Hag The nostalgia for the previous two managers ignores that their problems were ideological, not executional, and that recruitment was built around the same flaws.
- Opinion United are repeating their Hojlund mistake with Sesko Bought for direct GK to CF progression and duels for long balls, Sesko is now used as a deep passing outlet in an unbalanced team.
- Tactical analysis How Amorim adapted Three pragmatic changes — direct progression from the goalkeeper, Amad restored at right wing-back, and a more compact out-of-possession shape.
- Tactical analysis United gone long Long passes have doubled and own-third touches have collapsed: the numbers behind United's direct build-up, and its limits against compact blocks.