Did you know? Why does the 3-4-2-1 formation not work at Manchester United?

After Manchester United lost to Manchester City 0-3 last week, Amorin's 3-4-2-1 formation insisted was once again questioned. But Amorin still said stubbornly: "I won't change. When I want to change my philosophy, I will change. If I don't, then I will fire me." In this round of Premier League, Manchester United defeated Chelsea 2-1 at home. This victory ensures that Amorin will not lose the coach position for the time being. But Manchester United was able to win Chelsea because Sanchez was sent off by a red card early and Maresca's abandoned son surrendered. After Casemiro was also sent off, Manchester United played very ugly when the number of players was equal.

Today, Xiao Ou wanted to talk to his classmates about Amorin's tactical system. Can his three-center-back system bring success to Manchester United? Or is it destined to fail?

Judging from Amorin's past coaching situation, he is indeed a loyal player in the three-guard formation.

Since taking over Portugal Sports in 2020, he has started with three defenders in 190 consecutive league games. Among them, the most used one is 3-4-2-1, with a total of 120 games (including all five Premier League games of Manchester United this season).

In addition, he has also used 3-4-3 (68 games) and 3-5-2 (only 2 games).

In Portugal Sports, Amorin has achieved success with this system. He led the team to a winning rate of 77.2% in the Portuguese Super League, won two Portuguese Super League titles, becoming one of the most optimistic young coaches in European football.

But in the Premier League, his coaching story is completely different. His league win rate plummeted to 25.8%, the lowest in Manchester United history.

Compared with other coaches, Amorin's tactical system is still an alternative existence in the Premier League.

data shows that the trend of the Premier League formation evolution in the past 20 years is very obvious. The most popular ones are currently 4-2-3-1. 4-4-2 has declined significantly, while 4-3-3 is gradually increasing.

As for 3-4-2-1, it was not popular until Conte won the championship in 2016/17, and no one cared about it before 2015.

In the past 32 Premier League games, only Manchester United, Wolves and Crystal Palace have been using three defenders, and most teams are still mainly four defenders. Under the leadership of Glasner, Crystal Palace won the FA Cup 3-4-2-1 and scored into the European arena, proving that this formation is feasible in today's Premier League. Then why doesn't it work at Manchester United?

First, insufficient offensive firepower. Although they spent more than 200 million pounds to introduce Mbemo, Cunya and Sheshko this summer, their firepower is still difficult to satisfy. The wingbacks have greater concerns. The wingbacks pair Dugu and Mazravi played a total of 53 games in the Premier League, with only 2 assists and 0 goals.

Second, the midfield loophole is serious, and this problem is even more fatal. Amorin puts B fee in the midfield this season. This allowed Manchester United to quickly launch an attack from the backcourt, but also weakened B Fei's lethality in the frontcourt and exposed his defensive shortcomings.

Not only B, but midfielders such as Casemiro, Ugat, and Menu are also difficult to support their athletic ability. Once the goal is lost, Manchester United's formation will be pulled apart, and the midfield duo will immediately appear very empty.

Third, the defense is hesitant and the connection is not smooth. When the midfield is broken, Manchester United centre-backs often dare not rob, resulting in easy penetration by their opponents.

When the team presses, it is too difficult if no one is brave enough. You should know that you are facing top league teams, and your opponents have the ability to find space immediately, and even mid- and downstream teams like Fulham and Burnley can take advantage of these loopholes.

Fulham player Ivobi once said: "We know that Manchester United's central defender will not attack, so we specifically play their gap." The above three points made 3-4-2-1 unable to achieve good results at Manchester United. Perhaps Amorin still believes in his philosophy, but Ou Xiao believes that Manchester United's prospects are not optimistic.

Finally, what tactical system do you think Manchester United is most suitable?