Paul Scholes, a legend of Manchester United, has pointed out that Ruben Amorim’s intense focus on tactics may have drained the energy from the players. Even with Amorim taking over as the new head coach, Manchester United is struggling in 13th place in the Premier League, having suffered three consecutive defeats in their recent matches. Despite the team’s impressive performances in the Europa League and their recent victory over Arsenal in the FA Cup, there seems to be discontent within the squad both on and off the pitch. Scholes, who has spent his entire professional career with the Red Devils and made over 700 appearances, has been analyzing the team’s attitude before matches and suggested possible reasons for their subdued performances. “In today’s tactical football, it feels like the players’ enthusiasm has been drained,” Scholes admitted during The Overlap Fan Debate presented by Sky Bet. “When I played, I craved more freedom on the field.” “I constantly watch football, but I don’t break down the game like I used to,” he continued. “Recently, I’ve been focusing on Manchester United, particularly their pre-match warm-ups, and I’ve observed that they’re working on their team formation. Scholes is concerned that the players aren’t making the most of their warm-up sessions (Image: Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images.).” “They have the back five protecting the goal, while the forwards are trying to capitalize on incoming crosses, and they’re also rehearsing set-pieces in front of the fans, which I find quite strange.” Under Amorim’s leadership, United has experienced a strategic transformation since the era of Erik ten Hag. The recently appointed head coach from Portugal prefers a formation with five defenders, utilizing active wing-backs and a strong pressing approach. Nevertheless, Scholes has raised worries that Amorim’s pre-game practices might be overly tactical, risking distractions for players who are still adapting to the significant changes implemented by their new coach, thus diverting their focus from essential warm-up exercises. “Warm-up should be enjoyable, focusing on ball control and touch practice,” Scholes commented. “However, my attention is solely on tactics, and I doubt I could handle that if I were playing. The tactical aspect of football games doesn’t appeal to me.” I prefer to watch exciting moments in the game, like defenders sending the ball to midfield and wingers challenging full-backs, rather than focusing on tactics, though perhaps I should consider them.
