Football Made Simple: Why Amorim' 3-4-3 Could Ruin United, While Tuchel's Conquered The World

How can the same 3-4-3 system that ended Sporting's 19-year league drought under Ruben Amorim now threaten Manchester United's success? It's not the system itself—proven effective by legends like Johan Cruyff and managers like Conte and Gasperini.

The real issue emerges when comparing Amorim's United to Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea, one of the Premier League's most successful 3-4-3 teams. Tuchel's system thrived on proactive, dynamic center backs like Antonio Rüdiger who pushed into midfield, creating passing options and disrupting opponents.

Amorim's United initially lacked this adventurousness; their center backs often stayed flat, leading to wasted possession. Although recently more aggressive with players like Luke Shaw, United's buildup remains less dynamic. Crucially, the central center back role differs—Thiago Silva's intelligence and ball-playing ability anchored Chelsea's system.

United's primary ball progressor, Lisandro Martinez, operates differently, often receiving with his back to goal, limiting forward passing options. His progressive passing stats lag far behind Silva's. Additionally, United's midfield pivots lack the technical skill and positioning that Chelsea's pivots like Jorginho and Kovacic provided, hampering ball progression.

Chelsea's fluid front line featured wingers and attacking midfielders who dropped deep to provide passing outlets, maintaining numerical superiority in midfield. United's forwards focus more on runs behind the defense, leaving fewer players in positions to exploit space between the lines, limiting attacking variety and control.

Wing back consistency also differs. Tuchel had a settled pairing with confident delivery, while United's wing backs often play on their weaker foot or non-preferred side, slowing attacks. Defensively, United's wing backs drop deep in a 5-2-3 shape but face overloads due to half-hearted pressing from the front three, unlike Chelsea's cohesive defensive transitions.

Ultimately, Tuchel adapted his system to fit Chelsea's squad, while Amorim imposed a fixed 3-4-3 at United without fully assessing player suitability. This mismatch led to personnel issues, such as deploying Bruno Fernandes out of his optimal role. The lesson: no formation is inherently bad, but success depends on aligning tactics with player strengths.