![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/0_GettyImages-2210261682.jpg\")
Ruben Amorim watches from the touchline.(Image: 2025 Manchester United FC)<\/p>\nMan United suffered another defeat in the Premier League last weekend and must bounce back against Lyon.<\/p>\n
06:00, 16 Apr 2025Updated 09:20, 16 Apr 2025<\/p>\n
Ruben Amorim watches from the touchline.(Image: 2025 Manchester United FC)<\/p>\n
Jaap Stam believes Manchester United’s players are “struggling” in Ruben Amorim’s system.<\/p>\n
Amorim immediately switched United’s formation to 3-4-3 after his appointment from Portugal in mid-November, however, the players have looked uncomfortable in the different shape.<\/p>\n
There have been glimmers of progress, despite results continuing to be poor, though. United looked well organised in the first leg of the Europa League<\/a> quarter-final against Lyon last week, but Andre Onana made two mistakes and the French club snatched a 2-2 draw on home soil.<\/p>\n United must win the second leg against Lyon at Old Trafford<\/a> on Thursday night, although they head into that important clash after losing 4-1 against Newcastle in the Premier League<\/a>.<\/p>\n There has been a debate in the media about Amorim’s formation since his arrival, and Stam has joined the conversation by suggesting it was a risk to appoint Amorim during the season.<\/p>\n “It\u2019s definitely a risky move, but it reflects how the club has been run over the last decade,” said Stam about appointing a head coach who insisted on changing the team’s shape.<\/p>\n “Managers keep coming in, implementing their own systems, changing things around, and altering the squad. Players come and go, often at a high cost.<\/p>\n “As a big club, you need to have a consistent philosophy \u2013 an identity. The club itself should have a clear way of playing, and then find a manager who fits that philosophy. Instead, what we\u2019ve seen is players being brought in for one manager, then a different manager comes in and wants to change everything.<\/p>\n “It\u2019s a different way of thinking. Instead of constantly rebuilding around a new manager\u2019s vision, the club should establish its philosophy and recruit managers who align with it. That way, you maintain consistency and avoid having to start from scratch every time.<\/p>\n “In my playing days, I preferred having clarity and structure. Constantly changing systems can be frustrating because it\u2019s hard to settle in and understand your role. Players need stability to thrive, and when you keep shifting philosophies, it disrupts progress.”<\/p>\n Stam told Free Bets: “I think this squad was originally built for a 4-3-3 system. The players were recruited with that set-up in mind. Now, I\u2019m not saying playing that system was necessarily more successful, but you can see that, in certain moments, when players are positioned within a 4-3-3, they feel more comfortable.<\/p>\n “When Amorim came in and switched to a back-three \u2013 or a back-five, depending on how you see it \u2013 you could see the players struggling. They were having trouble understanding how to occupy certain areas and find space to get on the ball and make a difference.<\/p>\n “Particularly, the two players in the middle of the park were struggling. They\u2019re expected to defend, run a lot, and cover large areas of the pitch. But the squad doesn\u2019t currently have players who are well-suited to do that effectively. It\u2019s clear when you watch the games that they’re struggling with the system.<\/p>\n “It\u2019s not always their fault; it\u2019s also down to the system itself, which at times leaves them unsure of what to do. The way they\u2019re playing now is quite predictable. With a 4-3-3, you have more flexibility to switch positions, rotate, and make it more difficult for the opposition.<\/p>\n “With a back-three or back-five, you might be more solid defensively, closing gaps and limiting the space for the opposition\u2019s attackers. That said, Amorim probably feels he needs different players to make this system work: players who can cover more ground, bring more danger going forward, and inject energy into the team. So far, it hasn\u2019t been convincing.<\/p>\n “Amorim has tried various players in different positions, but that\u2019s normal for a new manager. He likely discussed his system with the owners when he joined United and made it clear that he wanted to implement his own style. And that\u2019s natural. Any manager wants to establish their own way of playing.”<\/p>\n —<\/p>\n Here at the Manchester Evening News, we\u2019re dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester United<\/a> coverage and analysis.<\/p>\n Make sure you don\u2019t miss out on the latest United news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here<\/a><\/strong> to subscribe.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here<\/a><\/strong> to be sent all the day\u2019s biggest stories.<\/p>\n And finally, if you\u2019d rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Manchester is Red podcast, featuring The Samuel Luckhurst Show and The Midweek Debate. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify<\/a><\/strong> and Apple Podcasts<\/a><\/strong>, and you can also watch along on YouTube<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Man United suffered another defeat in the Premier League last weekend and must bounce back against Lyon. 06:00,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":25666,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8813],"tags":[748,393,4884,2465,423,99,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-25665","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-manchester","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-england","10":"tag-great-britain","11":"tag-manchester","12":"tag-manchester-united-fc","13":"tag-ruben-amorim","14":"tag-uk","15":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114349549832907982","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25665","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25665"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25665\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25666"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25665"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25665"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25665"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/0_GettyImages-2210189321.jpg\")
United’s results have continued to be poor.(Image: George Wood\/Getty Images.)<\/p>\n