Manchester United’s head of recruitment, Christopher Vivell, is reported to have questioned Ruben Amorim’s favoured 3-4-2-1 formation in a private WhatsApp group for the club’s hierarchy.
Amorim had previously insisted “not even the Pope” would be able to convince him to change away from a formation which had delivered just 24 wins from 60 games across all competitions, but a pleasant tweak to a 4-2-3-1 yielded an impressive 1–0 win over Newcastle United on Boxing Day.
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The change in setup came as a surprise, as did Amorim’s decision to return to his three-back setup for a 1–1 draw with bottom side Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out.
According to the Daily Mail, fan concerns about Amorim’s system have been shared by some above him at Old Trafford, namely recruitment chief Vivell.
Vivell is reported to have voiced his concerns in a WhatsApp group chat for United’s leadership group after a 1–1 draw away to Fulham in August, after which Cottagers boss Marco Silva and midfielder Alex Iwobi explained how they “exploited” Amorim’s setup.
Those comments were sent into United’s WhatsApp group alongside Vivell’s warning that Amorim’s setup was too predictable and needed changing urgently.
All eyes will be on United’s team sheet on Sunday as Amorim selects his side to do battle with in-form Leeds United in the latest instalment of one of English football’s most historic rivalries.
“I heard that it is a big derby, a great environment,” Amorim said ahead of the game. “A big rivalry. But every game in the Premier League is tough for us, so it’s one more game.
“I know that it means a lot to the fans, but we need to go there and try to win.”
Confidence in search of that all-important victory is evidently high, with Amorim insisting they are capable of stopping Leeds’ hot form.
“They are confident, but we have proved we can win any game in any situation, in every context, so we will try to do that again,” Amorim warned.
“We know that they changed the system. They have different players in front. The last game they rotated the two players that usually are the starters. So, they have good players, good manager, great environment. It is going to be a tough game.”
