Paul Scholes names the ‘odd’ thing Ruben Amorim does at Man United that he wouldn’t be able to cope with
Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has raised concerns over one of Ruben Amorim’s key coaching methods since he took over at Old Trafford.
Amorim replaced Erik ten Hag back in November as the Red Devils aimed to turn their season around after a dismal start to the campaign, but things have gone from bad to worse.
United suffered their fifth home league defeat under Amorim on Sunday when they were beaten 2-0 by Crystal Palace after a second-half brace by Jean-Philippe Mateta.
And Scholes has now revealed he is worried by what the players are being asked to do before the game even gets underway.
Speaking on The Overlap Fan Debate, brought to you by Sky Bet, Scholes said: ‘When I was playing, I wanted to play with more freedom. I watch football all the time, but I don’t analyse the game as much anymore. Nowadays, with football being so tactical, I feel like the life has been sucked out of the players.
‘I’ve been watching Manchester United the last few weeks, specifically how they’ve been warming up before matches, and I’ve noticed that they’re practicing the team shape.
Rubem Amorim has already lost five league home games since taking charge of Man United
Paul Scholes is worried about what Amorim is asking the players to do before games
Scholes thinks Amorim is focusing too much on tactical shape in the warm-ups for games
‘They’ve got the back five defending the goal, with crosses coming into the box for the forwards to attack and they’ve even started practicing set-pieces in front of the fans, which just seems odd to me.
‘The warm-up is there to enjoy, having the ball at your feet, practicing your touch, but everything is focused on tactics and I’m not sure I’d be able to deal with it, if I was playing.’
Amorim is yet to settle on his favoured starting XI, and sprung a surprise on Sunday when he started Kobbie Mainoo up front while leaving recognised strikers Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee on the bench.
His left-field selection failed to work as United were unable to create clear-cut chances before they were picked off at the other end in the second half.
The Portuguese boss appears to be trying something different in each game to get the best out of his players, but Scholes admitted he is less concerned about tactical tweaks and would rather see United being braver in the final third.
He continued: ‘Trying to work out the tactical element of football matches doesn’t fascinate me.
‘I want to see good bits of play, defenders firing the ball into the midfield, a winger taking on their full-back, so I’m not looking at the tactics, but maybe I should be.’
Paul Scholes was speaking on The Overlap Fan Debate, brought to you by Sky Bet
