Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim enjoyed his first win on Thursday, as his side beat Bodo/Glimt 3-2 in the Europa League.
An Alejandro Garnacho goal and a Rasmus Hojlund brace were all that United needed to clinch their second victory in the competition this season.
Beyond the result, the other encouraging thing was that there were very clear and positive signs of a football identity, even as the Red Devils lined up in a 3-4-3 formation once again.
It wasn’t entirely pretty or the complete article but there were glimpses of the kind of style Amorim wants to implement at Old Trafford.
After the final whistle, Amorim himself said that the performance vs. Bodo/Glimt was an improvement from last weekend’s meeting with Ipswich Town at Portman Road. The United gaffer admitted that at the moment, every game is an experiment to determine what works and what doesn’t, but he was left encouraged by what he saw.
Statisticians OptaPlay have now revealed a superb assist, which proves that United may certainly be heading in the right direction under Amorim.
According to OptaPlay, United’s 3-2 triumph over Bodo/Glimt was the first time on record that the club completed more than 700 passes, had more than 70% possession, fired 20+ shots and had 40+ touches in the opposition box in a major European match since the 2003/04 season, when Sir Alex Ferguson was in charge.
To be precise, United put together 723 passes, managed 72.4% possession, aimed a total of 20 shots at Bodo/Glimt goalkeeper Nikita Khaikin and touched the ball 47 times in the opposition box.
1 – Manchester United’s 3-2 victory over Bodø/Glimt was the first time on record that they completed 700+ passes (723), had 70%+ possession (72.4%), registered 20+ shots (20) and had 40+ touches in the opposition box (47) in a major European match (since 03/04). Impact. pic.twitter.com/ZjAQbEYE2U
— OptaPlay (@OptaPlay) November 29, 2024
On more than one occasion since his appointment as head coach, Amorim has emphasised that United must work on keeping the ball and dominating proceedings.
This was evident against Bodo/Glimt although there is still a long way to go before the players are fully up to speed with the demands of Amorim’s football philosophy.
Fans will certainly be hoping that the team builds on this foundation when they return to Premier League action against Everton on Sunday.
United vs. Evertok kicks off at 13:30 BST.
Featured image Gareth Copley via Getty Images
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Derick Kinoti
Derick Kinoti is a football writer at The Peoples Person who has covered Manchester United and the game extensively for many years. He is a keen analyst with expertise in SEO and journalism standards. Derick is convinced Wayne Rooney is the true GOAT and won’t hear otherwise!
