THE BREAKDOWN: How Amorim played the long game to perfection to take down Reds

Low blocks and long balls. That was how Liverpool boss Arne Slot summed up Manchester United’s game plan on a famous night at Anfield for Ruben Amorim. Low blocks and long balls.

We’ve been here before, haven’t we, hearing a manager of a top team bleat on about the negative approach of an opponent they have coincidentally failed to vanquish - Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger spring to mind when faced with the likes of Sam Allardyce and a well-parked bus.

Slot’s predecessor Jurgen Klopp was frequently no stranger to it either and once described playing against United after a goalless draw in 2021 as ‘the worst thing you can face in the world’ playing against top players who only counter-attack.

So, hearing Slot continue the tradition is no surprise - and certainly not when he’s just lost a fourth game on the spin - but to reduce Amorim’s approach to simply sit back, stay and spray was more than a little unfair.

NOT JUST ANY LONG BALLS

Let’s make it clear, though. United did go long. Very long.

More than a quarter of their 294 passes were long. In their defeat by Brentford less than 10 per cent were and even in victory over Sunderland, a game in which United had adopted a more direct approach, that was still only 13 per cent.

At Anfield, goalkeeper Senne Lammens launched long all but two of his 46 passes. Trying to play out from the back against a side so devastating in their press as Liverpool’s front line would have been an accident waiting to happen.

But what made it even more interesting was that it came after Amorim had suggested he would play this way in the build-up, and talked about how important it would be to win second balls, only to leave 6ft 5in striker Benjamin Sesko on the bench and start with a front three of Mason Mount, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo.

The idea, so Amorim said, was that Liverpool centre backs Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk love to gobble up and head clear high balls, so United would have to find another way.

So, how come, despite all that, United went longer than ever? Because how they did so was slightly different to against Sunderland. Just take Lammens’ pass maps.

Versus the Black Cats, the United keeper was happy to punt many of his long passes straight down the middle towards Sesko and watch him challenge Sunderland’s central defenders.

Against Liverpool, however, most of his passes were aimed out wide or into the channels. Only a fifth of them found a United shirt but that didn’t matter. The visitors expected to lose most of those headers but it gave Amorim’s side a better chance of gobbling up the second balls in areas where his wing-backs could quickly combine with his front line, and expose Liverpool’s defence with their pace and movement.

And that is just what they did.

DIALLO SETS THE STANDARD

This column has frequently been used to castigate United’s wing-backs for letting down a system that depends on them to thrive. Those who usually start there for United under Amorim have failed to create the chances or set up the goals that other sides who play this way (*cough* Crystal Palace *cough*) frequently do.

Yet over the last two games, and especially at Anfield, Amad Diallo has shown his manager and some of his team-mates how it should be done.

The 23-year-old has forged a fine understanding with Mbeumo down United’s right side in recent weeks and the pair needed just 61 seconds to combine for United’s opener.

Van Dijk wins the first header but Fernandes then picks up the second ball, finds Diallo, who has dragged left back Milos Kekez wide to leave space in behind an isolated Van Dijk that Mbeumo exploits with a perfect run, to collect a perfect pass and provide the perfect finish.

United exposed Liverpool frequently down that side. The more you watched it, the more you could see why Slot’s side have struggled in recent times against wing-back systems like Palace’s.

United looked to get Diallo on the ball at every opportunity, especially in the first half when they were at their most dominant. Their two most common pass combinations all game were Bruno Fernandes to Diallo and Diallo to Mbeumo.

Every time Diallo got on the ball, United looked dangerous and Liverpool looked stretched. For Fernandes’ golden chance in the first half, it comes after Cunha picks out Diallo in space wide on the right.

Gaps litter Liverpool’s back line and Fernandes makes a late run into the box to meet a cross that he should score.

On 26 minutes, Lammens launches a long ball forward and Van Dijk wins the header, only to find Matthijs de Ligt who cushions a pass straight to Diallo.

He draws Kerkez towards him but plays a little pass down the line to Mbeumo who has pulled Van Dijk wider than his own penalty area. Cunha then makes a run into the space and forces Giorgi Mamardashvili into a stop.

On 30 minutes, Diallo pulls wide as Mbeumo drives forward. Kerkez has to follow Diallo’s run in case Mbeumo plays him in but it leaves Van Dijk in an uncertain one-v-one.

Van Dijk has rarely looked so isolated.

This does, of course, come with a balance. United are still not tidy enough on the ball not to leave themselves exposed when they lose possession with their wing-backs high.

That Cody Gakpo, playing on Diallo’s side, hit the post three times could easily have told a different story. United still need their wide centre-backs to be more adept at stepping across and dealing with the danger.

Amad was taken off for the last half hour after being booked and, from there, United lost their best outlet and Liverpool put them firmly under the pump.

Yet if United are to keep improving and, crucially, keep winning, Amorim must keep Diallo flying high and, if necessary, keep going long.