- Manchester United started the Ruben Amorim era with a 1-1 draw at Ipswich Town
- The new head coach has implemented a 3-4-3 formation
- Maguire admitted the fluency isn't yet there for the players
Harry Maguire has admitted that Manchester United players were guilty of "overthinking" during Ruben Amorim’s first game in charge against Ipswich Town.
United lined up in a new 3-4-3 formation, the system mastered by Amorim at former club Sporting CP, and made a blistering start at Portman Road when Marcus Rashford scored inside two minutes.
But United were unable to build on that lead, conceding a spectacular – albeit deflected – equaliser just before half-time and having goalkeeper Andre Onana to thank for some huge saves. It finished 1-1 and the the Red Devils took just a point home from Suffolk.
Maguire, who wasn't involved because of injury, suggested that players might have been too preoccupied with figuring out their positions, allowing focus on the game itself to drift.
"When you come from one style to another style, like the manager said in his interview after, I think people on the pitch are thinking too much where they want to be," Maguire told Sky Sports.
"At the end of the day, it's a football match. Go and be better than your opponent and go and win the football match. Within that, play with his principles.
"I think we overthought the game against Ipswich. I think that's natural because the boys want to play the way the new manager wants. But I think we've got to let it adapt with [fluency], rather than forcing it."
Amorim made similar comments after the final whistle against Ipswich, putting it down to a lack of time working with the squad – many players only returned from international duty towards the end of his first week on the job.
"It was really hard for [the players to adapt], they were thinking what to do," he explained.
"It was not fluid which is normal after just two training sessions but they tried hard. They have so much space to improve. But after a draw you never feel the good things. So I am really happy because they tried but they can do so much better."
