Meia Armador

Structures breed intentions. Amorim's intention is to dominate possession, maintain control, and pin the opposition in the final third. Yet his deep buildup structure is not aligned to that.

This is how he wants the structure to be. 5-2-3 with the central center-back stepping up and the front three remain narrow.

What are the disadvantages of this structure? 1) The goalkeeper cannot access the double pivot because the shorter distances between the central center-back and the double pivot create a high-density zone within a small area when opponents press man-to-man. This makes any passes into the double pivot extremely risky and prone to ball losses. 2) The central center-back is always a -1 because opposition players can comfortably press him while keeping one of the double pivot in their cover shadow; this is only possible because of the shorter distances. 3) Wing-backs are forced deep to provide width in the first line of buildup, which leads to a lack of last-line width in the final third. This allows the opposition full-backs to press aggressively onto the wing-backs, further compressing space and time. 4) All of this leads to a lack of short-distance connectivity between the 5-2 and the front three; this forces vertical balls, leading to less control.

What are the advantages of this structure, and how are they misaligned with Amorim's intentions? Central coverage. Unlike common deep buildup structures like the 4-2-4 or the 4-3-3, this structure allows 8 players centrally. This platforms a very strong central counter-press, and the shorter distances allow quicker combinations on the back of the counter-press. An effective pattern could be to bait the press, go long into the front three while the team pushes up, use the central proximity to win second balls, and transition quickly. Narrow distances demand vertical actions. This is the cornerstone of the Red Bull methodology and completely misaligned with what Amorim wants to achieve.

What is the solution? The solution is something that Amorim has already used before. Create a 4-2-5 with the central center-back moving beside the goalkeeper, and the wide center-backs act as full-backs while the wing-backs move into the last line. This will allow United to maintain 5 players in the last line, distribute space more evenly, and still offer a smooth transition into the settled possession structure.