RUBEN AMORIM has signed up to the Prem long-ball trend, telling his Manchester United flops: “We need to be more aggressive.”
Everton, Manchester City and Thomas Tuchel’s England are going more direct this season.
Boss Amorim wants United to mix it up with long balls and long throws.
Ahead of Sunday’s trip to Liverpool, he said: “We have players with a lot of power up front.
If we win a second ball, we can take all that build-up from the game and have the opportunity to score.
“We just need to be more aggressive against Liverpool. We must be ready for the game.
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“Every time the ball goes to the keeper, most teams play man to man — but sometimes you don’t have anyone to play it into.
“Senne Lammens plays with both feet. It’s harder for teams to pressure the keeper from one side. Yet he needs to be ready.”
Prem set-piece goals have risen this term — with the amount of long throws also DOUBLING per game — while teams are passing less to get the ball forward quicker.
And 48.4 per cent of goal-kicks end up in the opposition’s half, too.
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Amorim deployed these type of tactics during the 2-0 win over Sunderland, with Diogo Dalot sending long throws into the box.
While striker Benjamin Sesko’s knock-on for Bryan Mbeumo led to Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez’s red card in last month’s victory.
The Black Cats’ win was United’s second in three games, but Amorim is still yet to win consecutive Prem matches at the club despite arriving almost a YEAR ago.
He added: “I’m trying to understand why we are not winning back to back — but there are lots of different things going on.
“If you look at all of these things, we’ll find a million factors. I’m not trying to think like that.”
United travel to Anfield looking for their first league victory on the road since back in March.
They have not managed three points in their first game after an international break during Amorim’s time at the club.
Sunday’s trip to Liverpool is particularly daunting for the Red Devils.
They have not triumphed at Anfield since Wayne Rooney’s winner in 2016, while the champions have lost just THREE Prem games at home since the start of 2021-22.
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Since United’s last win there, Rooney, 39, has retired, moved to America, returned to manage, and been sacked four times.
New keeper Lammens was also just 14 years old when that last Anfield triumph happened.
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