Ruben Amorim Encountering the Force Wreaking Havoc on Manchester United
Ruben Amorim Encountering the Force Wreaking Havoc on Manchester United
In the intricate world of modern soccer, the set piece continues to irk fans with its charming straightforwardness.
The relentless pace of the game can make it hard for the average spectator to decipher how or why a goal is scored.
Obviously, there are personal blunders, but nothing ignites the ire of the home team's supporters more than an unmarked or overlooked attacker connecting with a free kick or corner kick. Fingers are readily pointed.
However, this isn't to say the set piece lacks skill or strategy. In the Premier League, free kicks and corner kicks are now treated like NFL plays. Coaches now leap from their seats to check if their blockers interfere with the goalkeeper as instructed, and decoys misdirect opponents at the right moment.
Despite all this, the result remains the same as it was over a century ago: a tall player rises in the 6-yard box and heads the ball into the net.
In the Premier League, Arsenal leads the pack in mastering the attacking set-play, having scored the most goals from dead balls in the past year—the unlucky distinction of conceding the most lies with Manchester United.
On December 26th, Wolverhampton Wanderers netted a corner directly against Manchester United, bringing their total of conceded goals from Premier League set-pieces in 2024 to 18, the most in a single calendar year of the competition.
Just a few days prior, Bournemouth opened scoring in a 0-3 victory at Old Trafford with a goal from a free kick, and a week before that, there were three other instances.
Son Heung-min also scored directly from a corner during a midweek Carabao Cup clash at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium, while most Manchester Derby rivals City had led thanks to a back post header from Josko Gvardiol.
These were in addition to the two conceded at Arsenal in early December and the one Nottingham Forest netted in their last home game.
While not all these goals were conceded under Amorim's watch, Manchester United has now conceded 17 goals from set-pieces in the Premier League in 2024, their most in a single calendar year in the competition.
Not all these goals were conceded under Amorim's management, but in the aftermath of the poor run, the former Sporting Lisbon boss has already defended set-piece coach Carlos Fernandes, who he brought with him from Portugal.
"The responsibility is on me, not Carlos," he told the media after the Bournemouth loss, "we are a team in good moments and bad moments. We have a way of doing things. We are working on that and we are going to improve on that. But we didn't lose because of set pieces. We lost because we created more chances and didn't score."
His defender, Lissandro Martinez, was more inclined to see the free-kick goal against the Cherries as decisive.
"We are so angry with these kinds of situations," said the Argentinian international, "We have to work on set pieces especially."
"I believe in this team and staff. If they don't score their first goal from a set-piece, then it's a totally different game."
However, had Manchester United won the game, as they had the Derby a week before, the set-piece issue would have been less significant. But Manchester United went on to lose the game 0-3.
Amorim admitted there was a cloud of negativity, making it hard for the players to deliver.
He added: "In this moment, everything is so hard. At a club like Manchester United, to lose 3-0 at home, it's really tough for everybody.
"Of course, the fans are really disappointed and tired. You can feel it in the stadium in the first play. At the first goal-kick with Andre Onana, he's thinking what to do and pushing the other guys and everybody is so anxious.
"I understand that, but we have to face it."
In essence, Manchester United's inability to effectively defend dead-ball situations highlights Amorim's struggle at the club.
For some reason, talented players cannot consistently execute the most basic drills when required.
It Begins with Set Pieces
Since Sir Alex Ferguson left over a decade ago, no clear style of play has been established, and the same strategy has barely lasted more than a couple of months.
The club has mostly relied on individual attacking brilliance, often on the counter-attack, rather than tactical nous to win games.
Amorim's responsibility is to establish a clear identity where players know exactly what their roles are and consistently perform according to a coordinated tactical plan.
His challenge is the same as when defending a set piece: players must execute regardless of any disruptions they might encounter.
Inspiration can be found in North London where Arsenal conceded the most goals in the Premier League five years ago with 20.
After letting a 0-1 lead slip into a 2-1 defeat to bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the 2019-20 season, when a goal conceded at a dead ball had led to the downfall, new boss Mikel Arteta bemoaned the weakness.
"I have never seen them before dominating the opponent and nullify them as much as I've seen today," he reflected post-game. "But we gave them a goal again and we conceded a set-piece and, at this level, you cannot do it. I'm sorry for the fans because I know how much it means to all of them."
In the half-decade that followed, Arteta built a team where all the players knew what to do.
The shift of the club from being the worst in executing set-pieces to the best isn't the sole reason it's now a consistent title contender. Rather, it showcases a team with solidity and a well-thought-out game plan.
After the disappointing 0-3 loss to Bournemouth, Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim defended his set-piece coach Carlos Fernandes, acknowledging that the team's struggles in defending dead-ball situations have been a challenge under his tenure. In the Premier League, Manchester United has conceded 17 goals from set-pieces in 2024, the most in a single calendar year in the competition for the Red Devils. Meanwhile, Arsenal has been leading the pack in mastering attack set-plays, scoring the most goals from dead balls in the past year.