Issues at Manchester United that Ruben Amorim needs to fix in the next games

Ruben Amorim’s first game as head coach of Manchester United ended in a 1-1 draw against Ipswich Town. Even though the Red Devils started strong with an early goal from Marcus Rashford, they couldn’t control the remainder of the game. Omari Hutchison equalized on the stroke of halftime at Portman Road.

"We have two ways — forget about the new idea and try to cope so next year we have the same problem or start now, risk and suffer a little bit, and then next year we'll be better at this point," Amorim said after the game. 

Here we take a look at three main areas Manchester United need to fix to return to winning ways: 

Areas of improvement for Ruben Amorim's Manchester United

Need for Speed

Even though Ipswich were near the bottom of the league, they showed more energy on the pitch on Sunday. Speaking after the game, Sky Sports Pundit and former Manchester United player Gary Neville said that he was worried about the lack of pace at Manchester United’s backline when he first saw the line-up. He further explained that once Amorim has the likes of Manuel Ugarte and Kobie Mainoo in the line-up, things will get easier. 

With Johnny Evans and Matthijs de Ligt in the back three, it was clear that the team was having difficulty coping with the energy of Ipswich’s attackers. The possible return of Leny Yoro and Luke Shaw can solve these issues with Neville hinting that the Left center-back role is the ideal place for the English defender who has been sidelined with a long-term injury. 

More control of the ball 

After the game, Amorim also stated that they needed more possession of the ball to impose themselves in the game. Even though United had 60% of the possession, the team only looked dangerous on the counter and had difficulty maintaining possession in dangerous areas of the pitch. 

"We start very well, but then we should have more possession with the ball and kept more of the ball. Sometimes, you have more of the ball in the defence and the rest of the guys were too stuck because they were thinking where they should be." - Amorim

By getting the best out of his midfielders Amorim can solve this issue. It will be interesting to see which pair of midfielders he chooses to field in the next games. 

The striker issue 

Marcus Rashford took on the responsibility of being a number 9 on Sunday. He immediately paid back the trust of his coach with a goal. However, he failed to make any major impact in the rest of the game. 

There is already speculation linking Sporting’s Swedish striker Viktor Gyokeres with Manchester United. In the meantime, however, Amorim will have to do with what he has got.

Both Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee are young strikers capable of growing into the role expected of them. But neither striker has yet to consistently deliver goals. If Amorim is to salvage the season, he needs to get his strikers firing on all cylinders.