Man Utd’s lucky draw at Ipswich shows players will struggle to fit Ruben Amorim’s new ideas

Ruben Amorim promised “you will see an idea” in his first match as Manchester United’s head coach. And he was good to his word. This was a markedly different approach. The problem is does he have the players to execute it?
At times United were far better than they have been under Erik ten Hag, even after just a few training sessions. But at times they were also fortunate to claim a draw against a relentless Ipswich Town who attacked their weaknesses. United were indebted to goalkeeper Andre Onana who made two stunning saves to deny the impressive Liam Delap. Onana’s first stop was arguably the save of the season so far.
It was no surprise to see the thirtysomething trio of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen – who formed the central midfield pairing in Amorim’s promised 3-4-2-1 formation – as well as Jonny Evans substituted as Amorim tried to wrestle back control.
All three struggled against an Ipswich side who press the way United struggle to do. That will be a key part of Amorim’s job as will working out who he can trust in his system. A boost was to get Luke Shaw back on the pitch, for the first time since February in a United shirt.
The start was intense as United surged into the lead after just 81 seconds. Amad Diallo, at right-wing back, evaded two challenges as he ran from his own half and crossed with Marcus Rashford, playing at centre-forward, stealing in to stab the ball home. There was no reaction from Amorim.
But Ipswich deservedly drew level before half-time when Omari Hutchinson was allowed to turn by the sluggish Casemiro on the edge of the penalty area with his left-foot shot deflecting up of Noussair Mazraoui’s head to beat Onana. This time Amorim rubbed his face. As well he might.
Ipswich will believe, with justification, that they deserved to win on the balance of chances created as the draw left them in the bottom three. United are still in 12th having now drawn four, won four and lost four league games. 
Amorim, as he knew, has work to do. “It’s a new life,” he also said. It certainly will be.
I think my players were thinking too much during the game – you could feel it. They were thinking: ‘Where am I supposed to be?’ It is hard after only two days training.
When you start the game like this you have to control the ball and control the tempo. We cannot do it at the moment – but they tried. They really, really tried. They want this. Sometimes they don’t know now to get it; that is my feeling.
We have two options. We can try to win games now and risk nothing, and I guarantee that next year at the same stage we will have the same problems. The players will be confused sometimes, we will have problems, but we have to address the new idea and try to be better at this stage next year.
Our decision-making was not always good. Everyone talks about the 3-4-3. That is not the concern, the system is the system, but we have to improve our understanding of the game a lot.
You start discovering things. I didn’t realise that Garna can hold the ball between the lines – he showed that today. I think Bruno improved his game by playing near the ball, feeling the ball, so that sometimes he can give us the long pass. But you cannot do that all the time. We need a lot of time to work out these things.
At this point Ed Sheeran crashes the interview
[On United running only 102km, their second lowest of the season] In the first half we were a little bit afraid. Their No5 was always alone. We have to jump on him. Then the No20, Hutchinson, was always in this space [between the lines]. Jonny Evans should be pressing that guy. But we only had two days of training so it’s hard for the players to know what to do. If you stand still, you don’t run. You defend, but you don’t run.
We have to be so much better physically to cope with the high pressure, the volume of the high-speed running and other things. We need time.
This week I spoke more to the media more than four years in Sporting! Now I just want to work with my players, nothing more.
Ruben Amorim embraces his opposite number Kieran McKenna, shakes the hands of the Ipswich players and then calls the whole United squad over to applaud the away end. His PR is outstanding, as is his coaching by all accounts. But today showed how big this job is.
United’s lack of rhythm was understandable after only a week under Amorim; the flatness of the performance was a slight surprise. The big plus was probably Amad Diallo, who made the goal from right wing-back and almost scored an injury-time winner.
Ruben Amorim becomes the first Manchester United manager since Tommy Docherty in 1972 to draw his first game in charge. A point was all United deserved after they failed to build on a dream start. Marcus Rashford put them ahead after 81 seconds, but Ipswich were the hungrier, smoother team, with team being the operative word.
Omari Hutchinson equalised shortly before half-time and Liam Delap brought two high-class saves from Andre Onana. The morals of this particular story are that Amorim needs time, and Kieran McKenna is a very fine coach.
Fine defending! Amad crackles infield from the right, dummies Davis and then a second defender before rifling a shot that is blocked. That was almost a brilliant winning goal.
Four minutes of added time.
Big chance for Ipswich! Clarke’s cutback from the left is met by Chaplin, whose mishit shot is saved to his right by Onana. That was the best chance either team has had since Delap’s early in the second half.
Man Utd substitution Mason Mount is on for Alejandro Garnacho.
Though United are pushing for a winner, there isn’t a huge amount of conviction in their attacking play. A draw feels like the right result on the balance of play.
Double substitution for Ipswich Conor Chaplin and Ali Al-Hamadi replace Liam Delap, who gave United’s centre-backs a bruising afternoon, and Wes Burns.
Fernandes goes close! It was a lovely free-kick, curled over the wall at pace. Muric flew to his right and the ball whistled just wide.
Fernandes tries to play a one-two with Hojlund and is fouled by Morsy. This is a chance for United; the free-kick is about 22 yards out, just to the right of centre…
Zirkzee has been bright since coming on, particularly in tight areas, although as I type that he wafts wastefully over the bar from the edge of the area. That was half a chance.
Zirkzee robs Davis, forcing Muric to charge out of his area to clear. In fact he booted the ball straight at the arm of the assistant referee. “Was that arm in a natural position?” deadpans the Sky commentator Peter Drury.
Fernandes releases Garnacho down the left with a majestic pass. Garnacho runs at Tuanzebe, goes on the outside but then overhits his cross.
Man Utd are having their best spell in terms of sustained possession, though that does leave them vulnerable in transition. Talking of which, Liam Delap bulldozes forward from deep and sprays wide from 25 yards. Finishing aside he’d had a terrific game, and he would have scored twice but for the agility of Onana.
Fernandes has dropped deeper into the two next to Ugarte with Eriksen off. Hojlund replaces Rashford up to and Zirkzee is playing in the two with Garnacho behind the central striker 
Hojlund cuts inside from the right, uses the overlapping Zirkzee by not using him but then plays a weird pass straight to an Ipswich defender. Not sure who he was trying to pass to, or indeed why he passed it as he was in a decent shooting position on the edge of the area. 
Fernandes’s cross is spilled under pressure by Muric and booted away by an Ipswich defender. 
Double substitution for Manchester United Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee replace Marcus Rashford and Christian Eriksen. That might mean Bruno Fernandes dropping deeper alongside Ugarte.
Double substitution for Ipswich Jack Taylor and Jack Clarke replace Jens Cajuste and Sammie Szmodics.
While it was naive to expect Ruben Amorim to sort United out inside a week, their performance has been surprisingly flat. Ipswich, in truth, have looked hungrier.
Some crisp one-touch passing from United on the right until Rashford overhits his pass to Garnacho. It’s still anyone’s game.
He’s some player in the making, Liam Delap. De Ligt comes out to try to win the ball off him just inside the Ipswich half but he’s spun too easily before Delap then powers away and sprays the ball out to Burns. The cross is a peach, Delap darts between De Ligt and Mazraoui and attempts a lovely improvised back heel that Onana saves. It’s poor from De Ligt in both instances.
Double substitution for Man Utd Luke Shaw and Manuel Ugarte replaces Jonny Evans and Casemiro. It’s Shaw’s first Premier League appearance since February.
It’s end-to-end stuff. Fernandes’s shot is excellently blocked by O’Shea after a neat one-two with Rashford. 
Great defending by Cajuste! Out of nothing United break town against one, with Garnacho on the ball. He runs all the way into the area and then tries to flick the ball square to Rashford. Cajuste, who had trakced him all the way, makes a terrific block tackle to concede a corner.
Brilliant save by Onana! Delap turns superbly in the centre circle, beats two players and flicks an outside-of-the-foot pass out to Burns on the right. Burns waits for Delap to get up in support and crosses towards the near post, where Delap gets in front of the defender and flicks a shot towards goal from five yards. Onana sticks out his right foot to make another outstanding save.
Casemiro has just lobbed a hopeful ball in the direction of Fernandes that goes over the United captain’s head. Amorim turns to Casemiro and throws his arms in the air. He was clear on Friday in his press conference that United turn over the ball too cheaply and easily and there’s a prime example.
United are enjoying more possession at the start of the second half, though most of it is in the middle third of the pitch and Ipswich look comfortable. It may be a long time before they have a better chance to beat United.
Good save by Muric! United almost score an even quicker goal at the start of the second half. Fernandes, on the left, plays a superb angled pass behind Tuanzebe towards Garnacho. He screws a first-time shot from a tight angle that is kept out well by the outrushing Muric, who is relieved to see the loose ball run towards a blue shirt.
Manchester United begin the second half; no changes on either side.
I didn’t give him enough credit – replays show that he spread himself, almost like Peter Schmeichel in his star-jumping pomp, to keep out Delap’s close-range shot. It was a terrific save.
Welcome to Manchester United. Ruben Amorim had a dream start when Marcus Rashford put United ahead after 81 seconds, but they didn’t build on that and were quietly outplayed for most of the half. Omari Hutchinson’s deflected equaliser was richly deserved.
Delap shoves Mazraoui over and then gives him a mouthful. Mazraoui springs to his feet and goes chest to chest with Delap. It soon peters out.
By Tom Morgan
VAR was rendered temporarily out of action during Manchester United’s clash at Ipswich Town after a fire alarm went off at the Stockley Park refereeing headquarters.
The room where assistants scrutinise video action of the games in progress was evacuated at around the half hour mark of the first half at Portman Road.
A message that the VAR had temporarily been suspended from use during the match was relayed to the captains of both sides shortly after 37 minutes. United were currently leading Ipswich 1-0, but the home team then levelled through Omari Hutchinson moments before the technology was restored.
Actually that Ipswich goal may well be given to Mazraoui; the replays suggest it was probably going just off target until it brushed his head.
Three minutes of added time. Jonny Evans is down after wearing an accidental elbow from Delap.
In other news, VAR is back in the game.
That equaliser has been coming from Ipswich. Casemiro is too slow to shut down Hutchinson, who has been outstanding, and his shot deflects off the top of Mazraoui’s head and takes it away from Onana. The Portman Road crowd are making a racket. Casemiro and Eriksen have a combined age of 64 and it’s showing. They just haven’t got around the pitch like Amorim wants and needs of his two deeper lying midfielders. It’ll be no surprise if we see Ugarte and Mainoo in there in the second half.
43 min: Ipswich 1 Man Utd 1 (Hutchinson) A deserved equaliser for Ipswich! Hutchinson loses Casemiro on the edge of the area and hits an extravagant curling shot towards the far corner. It brushes the head of Mazraoui and flies into the top corner. It was a fine effort anyway, and I’m almost certain it was on target, but the deflection was probably decisive.
United fans singing Onana’s name and well they might. The team’s player of the season to date has just made a fine save to deny Delap from point blank range. United cut open, a long ball over the top and Davis gets in behind Amad, then chops back inside and threads a pass between two men for Delap, who had to score. Amorim applauds from the touchline. The momentum is firmly with Ipswich.
Great chance for Delap! Oh, Ipswich should be level. Davis cut inside Amad on the left side of the area and played an ingenious square pass to find Delap, unmarked eight yards out. He went for power rather than placement and Onana was able to beat the shot away. We haven’t seen a replay but it felt more like a bad miss than a great save.
A half chance for Dalot, who mishits a shot straight at Muric after running onto an excellent long pass from Casemiro. 
The referee Anthony Taylor calls the two captains over to inform them that there has been a fire alarm at Stockley Park, which means VAR is down until further notice. What could possibly go wrong.
Fernandes plays a lovely pass to leave Garnacho one v one with Tuanzebe. United fans will remember Tuanzebe outpacing Kylian Mbappe in Paris in 2020-21, so it’s no surprise that he’s able to keep pace with Garnacho. Eventually Garnacho turns and goes over just outside the area; Anthony Taylor waves play on.
Casemiro clears the ball and catches Leif Davis in his follow-through. He needs treatment but is going to continue.
The game is meandering a bit. Rashford’s goal remains the only clear chance at either end. Ipswich have probably played the better football.
Davis’s booming, inswinging corner is headed dangerously back across goal and ricochets to Hutchinson, 12 yards out. His snapshot is crucially blocked by Dalot on the six-yard line.
Delap is fouled just outside the D by Evans. Hutchinson’s free-kick is well struck but straight at Onana.
Manchester United are moving the ball so much quicker and look so much more compact. Dalot and Amad have played well as inverted wing backs and have been heavily involved in the play. Evans and Mazraoui as the two outside centre-backs are stepping in on Hutchinson and Szmodics respectively, even if it means being more advanced than Casemiro and Eriksen at times.
United look more organised and confident playing out from the back although in one instance Amorim was screaming to get the ball forward having felt his team had created an opening to do just that which they spurned and instead went backwards.
There was no emotion or celebration from Amorim when United scored but he has been animated and gesticulating at other times. For example, sticking out both hands and telling Garnacho to keep the ball and not rush down the left or ordering Casemiro and Eriksen to switch positions at a throw in and for Dalot to throw back to Evans.
Amorim dropped to his knees, bowed his head and rubbed his face at one moment when, from a good attack, Casemiro attempted an overly ambitious first time pass over the top that went out for a throw in.
Ipswich continue to play precise, purposeful football. They are yet to create a clear chance but some of their passing and movement has been excellent.
Burns’ corner is screwed behind for a corner by Eriksen. Just before that, Delap put slightly too much weight on a pass to the unmarked Tuanzebe in the area. That was half a chance.
Davis’s corner is well claimed by Onana.
Amad is okay to continue. He’s still limping a bit but if it’s an impact injury he should be fine.
Amad goes down in pain after being caught by Burgess. He’s really struggling. It wasn’t a particularly bad tackle, just boot on boot, and the referee Anthony Taylor didn’t give a foul.
They have now. Garnacho combines well with Fernandes and whips a curler across goal from the left edge of the area. It’s a decent effort but goes a few yards wide.
The two No10s, Garnacho and Bruno Fernandes, haven’t really been involved yet. We haven’t seen the possession stats but it feels about 60/40 in Ipswich’s favour.
Szmodics runs onto a square pass from Burns and curls a good first-time shot from 25 yards. Onana dives to his right to push it away, a decent if ultimately comfortable save.
Burns fizzes a low cross that evades the sliding Szmodics at the far post. The goal aside, Ipswich have started really well.
Amad runs menacingly at Davis and then tees up Eriksen, who whips a trademark shot wide of the far post from 25 yards.
At the other end, Burns’ cross is lifted over the bar by Szmodics. It was an awkward chance.
Davis wins a corner for Ipswich, who have had most of the ball yet find themselves a goal down. Nothing comes of it.
2 min: Ipswich 0 Man Utd 1 (Rashford) Marcus Rashford scores after 81 seconds! Amad Diallo, the right wing-back, played a neat one-two with Bruno Fernandes and scorched away from Cajuste and Davis, covering at least 50 yards. Eventually he curled a short cross towards the near post, where Rashford got in front of Muric and poked a volley into the net from six yards. No reaction at all from Ruben Amorim, but inside he must be doing cartwheels.
Man Utd have started as expected, with Amad (right) and Diogo Dalot (left) as the wing-backs. Bruno Fernandes is the right-sided No10, Garnacho the left.
Ipswich kick off from left to right as we watch. The Ruben Amorim years start here.
Let’s have a reminder of the teams.
Ipswich (4-2-3-1) Muric; Tuanzebe, O’Shea, Burgess, Davis; Morsy, Cajuste; Burns, Hutchinson, Szmodics; Delap.Substitutes: Walton, H Clarke, Woolfenden, Townsend, Luongo, Taylor, Townsend, Chaplin, J Clarke, Al-Hamadi.
Man Utd (possible 3-4-2-1) Onana; Mazraoui, De Ligt, Evans; Amad, Casemiro, Eriksen, Dalot; Fernandes, Garnacho; Rashford.Substitutes: Bayindir, Malacia, Shaw, Mainoo, Mount, Ugarte, Antony, Zirkzee, Hojlund.
As Manchester United players warm up ahead of kick-off it looks like it will be Noussair Mazraoui, Matthijs de Ligt and Jonny Evans as the back three in Ruben Amorim’s first line-up. De Ligt set to play in the centre. Certainly appears, as promised, that it will be a 3-4-3. Question is who plays as the left-wing back (surely Diogo Dalot on the right). It could even be Alejandro Garnacho.
We know it’s a game with massive outside scrutiny, and some of that isn’t towards Ipswich Town, but we prepare as we would for any game. Once you take the occasion out of it, it’s about the details. I’m trying to deliver a performance that will allow us to get a result.
[What do you want from your team today?] First win, just that. We know we have to be patient, but we have to win. We will change some things, not too much.
[On playing 3-4-2-1] Some players have only one training session which is not enough. We will work on the training ground. I want my players to be comfortable.
I’m a different person on a game day. I’m a little bit anxious because, as a coach, when you don’t know the league, you don’t know what to expect [from the opposition]. It’s a new life. Let’s start with small details. That’s what I want, and I want my players to win, and they are capable of that.
By James Ducker
Ruben Amorim said he had yet to meet or speak with Sir Alex Ferguson but must focus on introducing his own ideas rather than try to emulate anyone.
“No, not yet [haven’t met him]. I didn’t have that opportunity,” he said. “It’s hard to copy someone, so I have to be me. Of course I’m not the best person in here to show the history of Manchester United.
“It should be the club first and also me because I’m always paying attention to those details and trying to focus our players in the history of the club, not the recent history, so you have to be very demanding.
“This is a club that needs and has to win, so we have to show that to our players but it’s a different time. I cannot be the same guy Sir Alex Ferguson was. It’s a different time and I have to have a different approach, but I can also be demanding with a different approach, so that is my focus.”
Amorim has also vowed to continue to promote youth, a long-standing tradition at Old Trafford but one that is all the more important now given the financial limitations of the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules and the cost of signing players.
“It’s the project of Manchester United,” he said. “Nowadays, you need young guys, guys from the academy for everything, to bring that history of the club because they feel the club in a different way.
“But also because you have all these rules with financial fair play when a player from our academy is so much different to the players we sell – that we bought and that we sell. So everything is connected, I will try to help all the players and especially the young ones.”
Weekly football newsletter
By James Ducker
Ruben Amorim plans to implement a back three in a changed system and admitted that arriving in mid-season makes the challenge all the harder given he has less time on the training ground to implement his methods.
“It’s so much harder to come to a team in the middle of a season because you have to [get to] know the players during the games,” he said. “You’re talking about no national team periods [international breaks] to work with the players, it’s just games.
“It depends if you are winning – it’s a lot of fun having a lot of games and trying to make some changes tactically and winning games.
“But if you’re losing, you don’t have the time in training to work out everything you want to work. I think where you can improve a team is in training. This is the most important aspect.
“You can get the players to recover and react really fast, but if you don’t make any exercises with that, it’s really hard to do that on video or in recovery trainings. So it’s really hard in this way but we will find ways to try cope with that.”
Mainoo is only just back from a muscle injury so it’s no surprise he does not start. Amorim has talked up Mason Mount but the England midfielder has played just 81 minutes in two months so equally no surprise he does not start. The omission of Ugarte is interesting although the Uruguay midfielder – who played under Amorim at Sporting – has had a long journey to and from South America during the international break, coming on to score a 101st minute stoppage time winner in a 3-2 victory over Colombia before playing the full game in a 1-1 draw with Brazil in Salvador on Wednesday. Rashford getting the nod over Hojlund up top was expected. Shaw and Malacia will hope for some minutes having not played for United since February and May last year respectively.
For those who prefer their line-ups in the traditional format…
Ipswich Town: Muric, Tuanzebe, O’Shea, Burgess, Davis, Morsy, Cajuste, Burns, Hutchinson, Szmodics, Delap.Subs: Walton, Clarke, Woolfenden, Townsend, Luongo, Taylor, Chaplin, Clarke, Al-Hamadi.
Manchester United: Onana, Dalot, De Ligt, Evans, Mazraoui, Fernandes, Eriksen, Casemiro, Diallo, Garnacho, Rashford.Subs: Bayinder, Malacia, Shaw, Mainoo, Mount, Ugarte, Antony, Hojlund, Zirkzee.
Interesting team selection from Ruben Amorim for his first game as United manager. It will be a 3-4-2-1 formation and Dalot looks like playing in the back three with Evans and De Ligt. Mazraoui will be one of the wing-backs, with Casemiro and Eriksen as the deeper two in his box midfield. It will be either Amad Diallo or Garnacho partnering Fernandes behind Rashford as the central striker, with the other operating as the other wing back.
Manuel Ugarte, who played under Amorim at Sporting, Mason Mount, Kobbie Mainoo and Rasmus Hojlund are among the options on a strong-looking bench while Malacia and Shaw are finally back in the first team squad.
Your Town to take on Manchester United. 👊#IPSMUN | @Nustone_UK pic.twitter.com/NfEatNwwYk
Kieran McKenna makes one change with Wes Burns replacing the injured Ben Johnson.
Are you ready, Reds? 🙌Presenting Ruben Amorim’s first United starting XI 👇#MUFC || #IPSMUN
Rasmus Hojlund and Manuel Ugarte are dropped to the bench, while veteran centre-back Jonny Evans starts in place of the injured Lisandro Martinez.
Hello and welcome to Telegraph Sport’s live, minute-by-minute coverage of Ruben Amorim’s first game as Manchester United manager. Amorim has made a sparkling impression in various interviews since taking the job; now it’s time to see whether the United players can adjust to his 3-4-2-1 system.
Amorim was 17 years old the last time United played at Portman Road, a 1-0 win in April 2002. Now, aged 39, he is United’s youngest manager since Wilf McGuinness in 1970. More importantly, he’s the sixth permanent manager since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson. The size of the task seems to excite rather than inhibit Amorim, and he acknowledges there will be a few reality checks as he tries to teach his players a completely new formation.
He inherits a team in 12th place – but they are only seven points off third place with today’s game in hand. “I’m a little bit of a dreamer, and I believe in myself, I also believe in the club,” said Amorim during his first official press conference as United manager. “I think we have the same idea, the same mindset, so that can help, but I truly believe in the players also.
“I know you guys [the media] don’t believe a lot in these players but I believe a lot. We have room to improve, I want to try new things. You guys think it’s not possible – I think it’s possible. We will see in the end.
“I don’t know how long it will take. I know when you are in Manchester United you have to win games. So I will not tell you that I need a lot of time. It’s a great league, it’s the strongest league in the world and we have to improve a lot to try to win it. We have to win games to win time and then to win titles.”
Kick off 4.30pm.
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