Is Amoralin ineffective? Despite targeted training, Manchester United was still heavily defeated by opponents, helpless against known weaknesses.

To score against Manchester United, just send the ball into the air. So far this season, United has not kept a single clean sheet in seven games, and every match saw at least one goal conceded from aerial play. Even with Ruben Amoralin fielding strong header specialists De Ligt and Maguire, their turning ability and pace remain vulnerable to opponents.

In their Premier League opener, Manchester United lost 0-1 to Arsenal, with Ricardo Calafiori scoring from a corner. In the second round against Fulham, Smith Rowe equalized from a cross. In the third round versus Burnley, United twice came from behind to draw, once from a cross and once from a long-range shot. Following matches against Manchester City and Chelsea also saw United concede goals from headers.

In the 1-3 defeat to Brentford, two direct long passes from Brentford led to United conceding twice. After the match, Amoralin openly complained: "The opponent’s first goal was a long ball. We practiced defending such attacks and set pieces all week, we knew they would use long balls, yet they still scored."

However, Brentford’s long passes were purposeful and targeted, exploiting the weaknesses and gaps in Manchester United’s 3-4-3 defensive system and players. In the first half, Brentford had higher possession than United. Their coach Keith Andrews praised their courage in attracting United to press with short passes before sending the ball forward.

Brentford’s first attack demonstrated their strategy. With 14 consecutive passes, they lured United’s left-back Patrick Dogu to press Michael Kayode. The "Bees" right-back then passed to midfielder Yarmoluk, who sent the ball into the space between Luke Shaw and Maguire, where Maguire chose to clear it out for a throw-in.

The home team’s intent was clear: pull United’s wing-backs away from their defensive line, then exploit the space behind them. This would force a center-back to cover the flank, allowing forwards to attack the exposed central gaps and combine wing and center to create shooting chances.

Only 20% of Brentford’s attacks came through the middle, the lowest this season, indicating their tactic to attack United mainly from the wings. Furthermore, most of their attacks originated from their right side, targeting United’s left side defended by Dogu.

Ironically, United gave Brentford opportunities through the middle. During a counterattack, Brentford exploited Maguire’s failed offside trap, with Igor Thiago scoring the opening goal in the 8th minute.

When Cunha lost possession near Brentford’s box, United’s center-backs were pushing up to midfield. Maguire was isolated in his weakest situation — a one-on-one sprint with the opponent. Trying to play the offside trap failed, allowing Thiago to break free like a horse on the plains.

Maguire’s decision to attempt the offside trap was a personal judgment error, but his vulnerability to the striker’s charge in that position was a consequence of United’s 3-4-3 formation.

Because the 3-4-3 midfield has only two players, Amoralin chose a number 10 like Bruno Fernandes, which requires defenders to step into midfield to prevent being outnumbered centrally. After losing to Manchester City, Bruno said: "We must time our runs well, or else our midfield is always short of numbers."

However, United players often make poor movement choices. Some defenders push too far forward, causing chaos during opposition counters. In United’s second conceded goal, right wing-back Diogo Dalot abandoned his flank defense to cover the middle, resulting in a defensive collapse. Thiago launched the attack and scored his second goal.

In another second-half attack, De Ligt left the three-center-back line to press forward. This tactic worked well against a Chelsea side down to ten men, but this time he failed to stop Mikkel Damsgaard. Brentford immediately exploited the space, passing to left winger Kevin Shad, who nearly scored to make it 3-1.

United’s defenders are not suited for overly aggressive defense, as one wrong judgment can break the formation. Thus, most of the time, the Red Devils revert to a four-back defensive system, with Dalot staying back on the right, Luke Shaw on the left, and Dogu positioned further forward.

Sometimes Dogu even drops back to form a five-defender line. But Brentford played smartly, moving United’s players to break their defense. Their second goal came from movement that disrupted United’s otherwise well-staffed defensive line.

Watana drew both Luke Shaw and Dogu, while Shad and Thiago attacked simultaneously on the left, throwing United’s defense into confusion. What was originally a 5-vs-3 defense suddenly became a localized 3-vs-2. Alate Baindil’s save was parried, giving Thiago the chance to score.

Brentford’s coach Andrews was originally just a set-piece coach, but his tactical plans embarrassed Amoralin, a Portuguese champion-level manager. His long-ball tactics were creative, varied, and disrupted Amoralin’s defensive setup.

What troubles Amoralin most is that although he clearly understands his and the team’s problems, he seems unable to solve them. In the seven matches United has played this season, Amoralin has rotated center-backs each time. In the last three Premier League games, he substituted a center-back midway through the second half.

Why? Substitutions are usually made to change the game, help the team win, score goals, or reduce injury impact. But replacing one center-back with another only suggests a wrong choice or that the player cannot physically last the full 90 minutes. Neither scenario is good.

In seven matches, Amoralin made 10 defensive changes. Against Fulham, fans chanted "attack, attack, attack," but he replaced Lenny Yaro and Luke Shaw with Maguire and Aiden Haven. None of these adjustments achieved the intended effect.

Amoralin’s 3-4-3 formation, which even the pope couldn’t persuade him to change, has glaring flaws. It has conceded 10 goals from direct attacks, the highest among all Premier League teams. Playing against Manchester United requires no complex tactics—just send the ball high and charge aggressively.