Manchester United’s head of recruitment Christopher Vivell was irritated by how the team’s system was exploited in the 1-1 draw against Fulham last August, according to the Daily Mail.
Fulham boss Marco Silva and midfielder Alex Iwobi explained how they were able to take advantage of Man United’s 3-4-2-1 system under manager Ruben Amorim.
Vivell was so surprised at the comments that he sent them to the Old Trafford club’s senior leadership, outlining the need to evolve to a less predictable system.
Amorim has largely played with a back three since his arrival over a year ago, but the Man United bosses have turned against his tactics.
There have been grumblings from powers-that-be at the club for a while about how the team is functioning under his system.
Conversations between Man United’s director of football Jason Wilcox and Amorim are now more fraught.
Man United’s academy continues to stick to 4-3-3 after dismissing the idea that all age groups must mirror the first team as a non-issue.
Wilcox was expected to set out a style of play blueprint that would be enforced on all levels of the club while he was the technical director, but Amorim has been allowed to stick with his own style.
It has not paid off, and he is expected to start delivering the goods sooner rather than later after a stuttering form in recent weeks.
Man United have won just three of their last ten league games and could miss out on Champions League football next term if there are no improvements.
Amorim needs regular wins if he is to convince everyone at the club that his tactics are working, and failure to get that done in the coming months could be catastrophic for his future.
