What went wrong at United?
If it had to be diluted down to one word, it’s adaptation. Amorim at United proved not to be able or willing to adapt to multiple things going on in the team and around them, which resulted in a lack of results.
First of all, the United squad was a construction of profiles different from those Amorim was working at Sporting. The solution Amorim came upon was to promote and sign players that would fit his system and reduce the roles of previously important players like Rashford, citing lack of defensive tracking as one of the issues. His first big game coaching United against Arsenal featured the following:
United lost the match 2–0, getting only 6 touches in the box as opposed to Arsenal’s 36.
The problem coaches can run into when prioritizing system fit over ability is that the ceiling the team can reach lowers immensely when the strongest players aren’t on the pitch, which leads to subpar performances against real competition.
This transitions to another issue Amorim faced at United, which was a weak squad.
This was not helped by the fact that most big-money signings like Manuel Ugarte failed to return on investment, due to the signings themselves being misguided and overvalued. Amorim tried to impose his system on a squad that was badly constructed and weak, without trying to account for that, thus lowering the floor and ceiling of United’s performances.
Another element Amorim failed to adapt to, was the league in general. The jump up in quality and athleticism from the Portugese league to the Premier League is massive, and Amorim’s game model did not translate as well, going from dominating games to being constantly in the back-foot. There are occasions where Amorim teams will press high while keeping a lower defensive line, which stretches the defensive block and leaves a lot of gaps Premier League players are able to exploit. Additionally, that type of set-up required a large amount of effort and constant running, that the United squad was not fit to do, which was likely a holdover from Erik Ten Hag’s tenure.
All this was too much to handle ultimately. Even after improving the squad quality & fitness during the 2025 summer and getting better results (relatively), it was not enough.
The “System”
Amorim’s “system” really isn’t anything particularly groundbreaking for a 3–4–2–1, but it definitely is made up of a rigid set of player profiles. You will notice throughout the role descriptions that mobility and athleticism is very emphasized among every player. Each individual is asked to cover a lot of ground — be that on the break with quick counters or defending transitions after pushing up really high.
GK
Generally asked to contribute to the team’s build-up in possession. Given a fair bit of responsibility and touches.
Milan starter candidates: Mike Maignan, Lorenzo Torriani
CBs
Consists of two wide center backs that are mobile and adept on the ball and the center center back, who is often someone solid in the air, pretty safe with the ball, and able to coordinate the other CBs with the midfield. This is all pretty similar to what Allegri deployed in a sense, but with all three center-backs having way more progressive responsibility in the defensive third. In general, the center of pitch is less utilized than the wider areas, putting emphasis on the WCBs being good progressors of the ball. The CCB will push up at times to form a double-pivot with the anchor midfielder in possession, so it is imperative they are secure & safe with the ball.
Milan starter candidates: Koni De Winter, Davide Bartesaghi / Strahinja Pavlovic, new arrivals
This is where the issues with the current Milan squad start.
Matteo Gabbia has struggled defensively against a multitude of physical strikers and is not inspiring as a progressor, being 10th percentile in Progressive Pass% (via ScoutLab), thus unsuited at CCB.
Tomori’s defending unfortunately has regressed noticeably over the years, to a point where even though he can be accurate with his passes. He has gone from being among the best ground duelers to below average, while not offering anything in the air either. He’s a great professional and leader, but as of right now does not warrant a starting spot.
That leaves off Davide Bartesaghi, Koni De Winter, and David Odogu.
Odogu is pretty much a mystery given he barely played any real leverage minutes for Milan. He will likely be either loaned or start the season on the bench as he tries to prove himself.
Davide Bartesaghi is quite good with the ball on his feet when it comes to passing and crossing. He tests different & unique angles when passing the ball forward and has a real CB’s physique. There is a real case for him to play as one.
Koni De Winter is the most obvious starter carrying over from last season in my opinion. He showed considerable growth as a box defender as the season progressed, all while being solid in the air and comfortable having the ball on his feet.
Nonetheless, it is obvious that the market will need to be utilized for perhaps one to two starter level CBs that are mobile, strong, and capable passers. It will be very difficult to find that type of player on a limited budget, so whoever is building the squad will have to get creative, crafty and shrewd.
Anchor
The midfield Amorim usually runs is made of a double-pivot, which is split into an anchoring and a roaming midfielder.
The anchor generally stays further back at all times and is there to sweep up incoming balls & stop potential counters. It is imperative for the anchor to be disciplined positionally while also athletically capable to cover a large area of the middle of the pitch, given the roamer usually moves further up the pitch in possession.
On the ball, the anchor is usually safe & tidy with their passes, prioritizing moving the ball without turning it over. Basically, someone safe with the ball and a strong defender.
Milan starter candidates: new arrival(s)
There currently isn’t a solid starting level midfielder in the Milan squad that would be a perfect fit this role.
Ultimately, depending on how much Amorim values out of possession contribution, this role might have to be filled by the market.
Roamer
The other midfielder in the pivot will usually join up in attack as they roam up the pitch, acting as an attacking midfielder at times. These are usually very capable progressors and chance creators. Also, ideally someone mobile enough to run back and forth their IP and OOP positions.
Milan starter candidates: Adrien Rabiot, Ardon Jashari
Wingbacks
Amorim “wingbacks” behave more like wide wingers in possession. They stay high and wide, run a ton, are expected to get to the end of chances by crashing the back post, and even create chances be that with cutbacks or crosses. A somewhat unique aspect of it all is that depending on the game, Amorim will deploy opposite footed wingbacks for more central presence.
This emphasis on the attacking side of things has led to Amorim playing natural wingers in the wingback positions, with the likes of Quenda and Amad, given their work rate and defensive contributions.
Milan starter candidates: Davide Bartesaghi, Zachary Athekame, new arrival(s)
The clear candidates here are Bartesaghi and Athekame who both have shown to be useful offensively with their crossing and flashes of goalscoring potential. These roles wouldn’t be too dissimilar to what they were doing under Allegri. Bartesaghi improved on his ball carrying & dribbling over the season, but there is still a question whether he will be seen as a WCB or WB, so there could be easily a need to sign a new player for that position.
Similarly, Athekame is still very early in his career and could be deemed not at the level needed as a starter. While Saelemaekers is less than ideal in that position since does not excel in the final third.
Samuel Chukwueze has been reported to return to Milan and would be a quite interesting prospect as a wingback, given his defensive work rate is quite good. Additionally, he’s a great wide creator and dribbler, albeit very one-footed.
Wingfielder
The wingfielder acts as an attacking midfielder and winger hybrid. They play in the pockets and half-spaces, connect midfield with attackers, and are usually solid dribblers.
Milan starter candidates: Alphadjo Cisse, new arrival
The best candidate in the current Milan squad is the new-coming young LW/AM. Cisse’s season for Catanzaro in Serie B was cut short by injury, but in the minutes played he recorded:
- 3.74 progressive carries p90
- 63.96% dribble success rate
- 0.13 xA p90
- 0.15 xG p90
But ideally, the starter spot would be filled with someone more developed and ready to contribute from day 1 — which makes it another addition to the long list of needs in the transfer market.
The extra-striker
One of the “10”s that plays as somewhat of an extra striker, while also being a wide threat. Usually a wide forward that can be direct and gets shots off easily, crashes the box, and combines with the main striker in the final third.
Milan starter candidates: Christian Pulisic, Christopher Nkunku
This role seems most fit for Milan’s remaining “big name” attackers left after Leao’s request to leave. There is no need to introduce Pulisic and his off-ball scoring abilities. Additionally, Nkunku has played a similar role for RB Leipzig in the past (albeit a lot more athletic back then) and would be able to fill in the extra-striker role if needed.
Power Forward
Amorim teams utilize long balls a ton. His strikers are adept & frequent channel runners and are able to win aerial duels.
Long balls are an effective method of bypassing build-up progression and getting right into action in the final third. There are two methods of doing so; one of them being receiving in the channels and running into the box to shoot or going outside to then lay off the ball to one of the wingbacks or wingers. The other way is contesting the header and sending the ball to an area where teammates are. Then those teammates need to be quick and skilled at picking up second balls to gain possession. This is particularly why Amorim midfielders need to be mobile, fit, and athletic.
Just like most teams, the Power Forward has a lot of the scoring responsibility, be it running in transition, scoring from crosses, or stumbling into half-chances to score “ugly” goals. Spamming runs and being a physically imposing presence is the name of the game.
Milan starter candidates: new arrival
Milan has had a striker crisis the entire year, with Leao and Pulisic playing out of position, Gimenez being unable to score, and Fullkrug having a disappointing loan. Gimenez has been rumored to be on his way out and Camarda is most likely to have another loan experience, thus the market will need to fill this position as well.
New Arrivals
So, pretty much Milan under Amorim will realistically be looking in the market for at least 5-6 new starter level players. Those players will have to fill in pretty specific roles and depending on which additional players request transfers away, those spots will be needed to be filled too.
The squad building over the summer will decide whether the 26/27 season will be a success or not. That is because Amorim’s system is hyper-specific, and he has shown to be stubborn when it comes to adaptation. Therefore, if you’re going to expect Amorim to perform, you need to give him his players.
