Manchester United qualified for the last 16 as the only unbeaten team in the Europa League thanks to second-half goals from Diogo Dalot and Kobbie Mainoo.
Amorim made two changes after a goalless first half, bringing on Amad and Alejandro Garnacho, with the latter soon hitting the post. United looked more threatening and took the lead when Mainoo squared for Dalot.
Daniel Birligea almost levelled when he smashed the ball against the bar from distance before Mainoo scored United’s second eight minutes after his assist.
A pitch invader seeking a selfie with Garnacho briefly delayed the second half, while green lasers were shone from the stands at times, but United won comfortably in the end.
United will now skip the play-off round and will be a seeded team in the last 16 when those games are played on March 6 and 13. The play-offs will be drawn on Friday and those games take place on February 13 and 20. United will discover who their last 16 opponents are on February 21.
Here, The Athletic’s Carl Anka analyses the main talking points.
Is Mainoo better as a No 10?
At the start of January, The Athletic penned a piece pondering what United do with Mainoo and their midfield.
The 19-year-old is a promising bright talent, but his relative lack of athleticism makes him an awkward fit in a Premier League era when players are getting taller and more barrel-chested.
On Thursday, Amorim’s solution to the tactical head-scratcher was to move Mainoo out of the central midfield pivot and to play him behind the striker. Playing in close proximity with the likes of Eriksen, Amad, and Fernandes helped Mainoo focus on what he’s best at and spent much of the second half knitting together United’s attack and midfield with some smart one-touch passes.
After a goal and an assist, the question now becomes whether Amorim keeps Mainoo in the advanced position permanently. The No 10 role appears to suit him, but there are questions as to who would best slot into the central midfield role next to Ugarte. Fernandes is one option, as is Casemiro; however, Amorim does not appear to favour the Brazilian. Mainoo’s move further up the pitch opens a window of opportunity for Collyer behind him.
It’s certainly a tactical wrinkle to look out for in the weeks and months to come.
Have United become… boring in their first halves?
United are beginning to settle down after a turbulent few weeks. The Thursday-Sunday fixture treadmill means Amorim cannot field his (theoretical) best XI for every match, but there are signs his team has a clearer sense of what they are supposed to be doing in games.
The head coach made five changes from the XI that beat Fulham on Sunday. Altay Bayindir, Tyrell Malacia, Mainoo, Toby Collyer and Christian Eriksen came in for Andre Onana, Harry Maguire, Manuel Ugarte, Amad and Garnacho.
There were some noticeable changes due to the tweaks. Malacia’s presence in the team meant Dalot could switch to right wing-back and attempt to sling in crosses on his stronger right foot. Noussair Mazraoui moved back into right centre-back and his confidence on the ball helped the side maintain settled possession during sections of the game.
An additional wrinkle came in Mainoo’s deployment, playing alongside Eriksen as a No 10 behind the striker Rasmus Hojlund rather than his usual central midfield spot. The 19-year-old was an increased attacking threat in the first half but perhaps should have done better after receiving Hojlund’s pull-back cross in the 19th minute.
It made for an… adequate first half. United looked to have grown past the funky five minutes that have sent recent European away games off-kilter. However, that defensive stability has come with this team losing some attacking thrust. Hojlund finished the first half with 12 touches of the ball.
United dominated possession in the first half and survived one set-piece scare to keep their opponents at bay, but one issue comes from the lack of powerful ball-carrying in midfield. Amorim’s Sporting CP team had central midfielders who could collect the ball from deep and carry it across the halfway line, sucking in a defender or two before making a line-breaking pass.
Amorim’s United have Collyer — who can run after the ball but hasn’t had much time to experiment with it. Next to him was Bruno Fernandes — who has never been the most comfortable when dribbling. Throw in a so-so appearance from Malacia (who had to be on his best behaviour after getting booked in the eighth minute) and that sensible/sterile U-shape in build-up reared its unwelcome head.
United don’t look like they’re going to concede silly goals as much as they used to (at least in open play), but there’s not yet a spark to suggest they are going to start winning games from the off.
What’s Amorim’s rotation policy?
“I don’t rotate because I want to rotate. I’m not different than the other coach. I’m trying to find out the best solutions to win every game. Sometimes, I have doubts over which game I’m going to put and I put the guys who are more fresh to meet the demands of the game.”
Those were Amorim’s words before facing Arsenal in the FA Cup earlier this month and the head coach often wants to save the legs of some of his more important players. Out of United’s central midfield options, Ugarte covers ground and makes tackles best, but Amorim opted to start him on the bench against FCSB to keep him fresh for Sunday when they play Crystal Palace.
This rotation has fed into some of the flat first halves United have recently played… but it also means the side can very quickly find an upper gear if Amorim gets his substitutions right.
And Amorim has a good eye for an in-game change. Garnacho got the ball rolling early in the second half, flashing a shot against the outside of the post in the opening two minutes. Amad’s introduction at right wing-back made the side a lot more dynamic when going forward. His link-up play with Mainoo and Fernandes saw the Romanian side begin to unfurl.
The 60th minute saw Amad free Mainoo down the right with a quick throw-in, before the Englishman’s low cross was finished by Dalot at the back post. Eight minutes later, Mainoo played a clever one-two with Garnacho and rifled in a low shot to make the scores 2-0.
A two-goal cushion allowed Amorim to make further changes, taking off Eriksen and Martinez for Leny Yoro and Casemiro (who hadn’t come off the bench for United since the Europa League fixture against Viktoria Plzen on December 12).
Amorim’s side can take a while to warm up, but when they do… they can play some decent football.
That was a weird European campaign, wasn’t it?
Three shaky draws under Erik ten Hag, one competent win under Ruud van Nistelrooy and four intriguing victories under Amorim. United’s 2024-25 Europa League campaign has been an odd one. There have been chaotic moments, but the team has finished the league phase as the only team unbeaten, sitting third in the table.
They will not have to play two additional matches in the knockout play-off round — to the delight of Amorim — and will be one of the favourites to reach the May 21 final in Bilbao.
If you were to ask Amorim if he’ll focus on winning the European competition to secure Champions League football next season, he is unlikely to give you a yes/no answer. But after so many chaotic weeks and disappointing Premier League results, United fans now have something to look forward to.
What next for Manchester United?
Sunday, February 2: Crystal Palace (home), Premier League, 2pm UK time, 9am ET
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(Photo: Vasile Mihai-Antonio/Getty Images)
