Harry Maguire has insisted Ruben Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 formation is not to blame for Manchester United’s struggles, instead arguing the players are to blame.
Questions have been asked about Amorim’s decision to persist with a tactical system which does not appear to benefit most in his squad, with the spaces left around his two-man midfield attracting particular criticism.
Maguire was eager to defend Amorim’s setup, insisting it is attracting plenty of unfair scrutiny simply because results are not going the way United want.
“I think the formation is an easy one to go at, because we’re playing something a little bit different to everybody else,” he told Sky Sports. “For me, it just became an easy one to go at when the results don’t work.”
“The formation has been fine. Like I said, box to box we been pretty comfortable in every game. Tactically we’ve been comfortable in every game, it’s got to be down to the players. The players have got to take their moments, they’ve got to make the difference in those moments.”
“I think this season, the first four games, we just haven’t done them ‘moments’ well enough. And like I said, we haven’t defended in our box well enough in the big moments. If you’re a good player, you can play in any formation.”
Amorim has repeatedly insisted he has no plans to change his tactical setup, going as far as to warn United officials they would have to sack him if they want to see a different formation, and he doubled down on that stance ahead of Chelsea‘s visit to Old Trafford on Saturday.
“No one, not even the Pope will change [me],” Amorim stressed. “This is my job, this is my responsibility, this is my life. So, I will not change that.”