Amorim’s tenure as United manager began with a strong start at Portman Road, as Marcus Rashford put the visitors ahead just two minutes into the match.
However, Ipswich had their chances, with Liam Delap missing a great opportunity before Kieran McKenna’s side equalized through Omari Hutchinson’s long-range shot, which deflected off Noussair Mazraoui’s head and into the top corner past Andre Onana.
In the second half, Amorim made five substitutions, including bringing on Luke Shaw, Manuel Ugarte, Rasmus Hojlund, Zirkzee, and Mason Mount.
Zirkzee was placed in a No.10 role behind Hojlund after his 68th-minute introduction, but Amorim made it clear the Dutch forward needs to work harder to get into the box during United’s attacking play.
“I think decision-making is a concern; at this level, you shouldn’t need to coach them,” Amorim told Sky Sports. “You need to keep the ball and understand the momentum to put it in the right place.
Sometimes you have to put the ball forward when you can’t keep possession. In the final moments, we had two strikers in the box, and Josh [Zirkzee] has to understand that he needs to be there to meet the crosses.
We’re not always making the right decisions, and that’s something we need to address. People talk about the 3-4-3 system, but it’s not the system; it’s the understanding of the game we need to improve.”
Amorim also pointed to Evans’ failure to press Hutchinson, who had space to receive the ball and attack United’s defense. “In the first half, we were a bit too cautious,” Amorim explained. “Morsy [No.5] was always free, and we should have pressed him. Hutchinson found space, and Jonny Evans should have been on him.
We didn’t have enough training time, so it’s hard to react perfectly in those situations. We had just two days, and the players were a bit confused. When you stay back and don’t press, you’re not moving enough. We can see this in the data, and we need to work on improving our physicality and ability to cope with high pressure.”
Amorim also expressed a desire for Bruno Fernandes to play a more central role in United’s build-up play. “I think Bruno Fernandes improved when he played closer to the ball, so he can sometimes deliver the long passes,” Amorim said. “But you can’t expect him to be in that position all the time, as he tends to want the long ball every time. We’re still learning about the players, and it will take time to get everything right.”
