18:30 on September 27, Brentford vs Man United: Mbeumo elevates Amorim’s MU

27/09/2025 07:38:00 esportapi

Brentford’s victory over Manchester United (MU) in last season’s Premier League second leg was largely due to Bryan Mbeumo’s quality of play, even though he didn’t score in that match.

Now, coach Ruben Amorim is using the Cameroonian striker to implement his tactical ideas and enhance the Red Devils’ football quality.

Impact of Mbeumo

Continuous changes have become normal for Manchester United, except for one constant: the 3-4-2-1 tactical system. Regardless of criticism and disappointing results, Amorim remains loyal to his philosophy and challenges players on their adaptability rather than yielding to complaints from experts, management, or the dressing room.

This rigidity is often seen as overly conservative, but it seems to be working more effectively on the “field” compared to statistics that show the team’s “quiet” progress recently, especially after their 2-1 win against Chelsea in the previous round.

Considering the spaces that full-backs Patrick Dorgu and Noussair Mazraoui found in the first half against the Blues, along with excellent ball control, long passes, and transitions, it explains why Amorim persists with a philosophy that seems difficult for players to execute.

The 40-year-old coach’s core philosophy is for Manchester United to lure opponents into pressing, then exploit the spaces behind their defenders through forward long balls. Last season, he failed because he lacked players suited to this style.

Meanwhile, Matheus Cunha and Mbeumo excel in this aspect. Especially the Cameroonian striker, a leading ball carrier in the Premier League, who also has the ability to break through, connect with other forwards, and play more directly than Amad Diallo or even Cunha.

That’s why Brentford was among the top clubs in long-ball play last season. This season, Manchester United is surpassing them. Statistics show that so far, the Red Devils have completed 301 long passes with a 55.5% accuracy rate, while Brentford has 234 long passes at 42% accuracy.

A slight difference between the two teams is that Manchester United stands out in the precision of long balls, timing, and how they use those passes to escape pressing or break through the opponent’s defensive line.

Mbeumo helps MU improve game by game

Another factor influencing Amorim’s push for team progress with Mbeumo’s presence, although not officially acknowledged yet, is that last season, Old Trafford’s team lost possession 142 times in their own half, ranking 6th among the top 20 teams. This forced the 40-year-old coach to overcome these limitations by using long passes.

MU’s transformation

Amorim’s previous football system limitations lay in the slow ball progression from the three center-backs, midfielders lacking vision, and over-reliance on Bruno Fernandes.

Mbeumo will force Bruno to operate more often in the number 6 role. With the new attacking trio of Matheus Cunha, Benjamin Sesko, and Mbeumo, the Red Devils average 16.2 shots per 90 minutes, more than any other Premier League team. The former Brentford player currently leads the league with 144 touches in the attacking area. This is no coincidence!

Last season at Brentford, Mbeumo averaged 2.24 shots per 90 minutes with an expected goals (xG) of 0.32. He also frequently demonstrated his ability to break through defenses with 1.4 successful dribbles per game, a key weapon for Brentford to stretch opposition backlines. In The Bees’ system, Mbeumo played wide and operated independently.

However, under Amorim’s guidance, he has improved and driven Manchester United’s development. After more than 400 minutes of play, the 26-year-old striker averages 3.15 shots per 90 minutes with an expected goals value of 0.39.

This reflects a more finishing-oriented role, receiving more service in dangerous areas. Conversely, his successful dribbles have dropped to about 0.6 per 90 minutes, indicating less need for individual maneuvers and more reliance on pace and runs to finish.

His passing numbers have slightly increased from 23.1 to 23.7, while his sprints remain high (10 per game) at an average speed of 36.6 km/h, helping Manchester United create more threats in the opponent’s final third.

If Brentford needed Mbeumo to break open defenses, at Old Trafford, he simply steps in to finish. This transformation not only shows the versatility of number 18 but also clearly illustrates Amorim’s direct philosophy: a faster, more efficient, and more dangerous Manchester United than ever before.

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