How Ruben Amorim’s bizarre Kobbie Mainoo false 9 experiment failed as Man Utd boss struggles to solve goalscoring crisis
YOU can’t say Ruben Amorim didn’t try something new.
But choosing a teenage 5ft 9ins holding midfielder to play up front for the first time did nothing to solve the goalscoring crisis at Manchester United.
Eyebrows were certainly raised when Kobbie Mainoo, 19, got the nod to lead the line for United as Crystal Palace visited Old Trafford.
Especially when the Portuguese manager named not one but two senior strikers on the bench.
Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee watched on as Mainoo took his place up top.
Safe to say, the experiment failed as Manchester United scored zero and Palace scored two on another miserable afternoon for Amorim.
Mainoo’s role was not as an out-and-out No9 – instead dropping in as a No9 to get involved in the play.
It meant at times he was more of a No10, where he excelled in the Europa League win at FCSB on Thursday.
And his average position reflected that, only just in front of Bruno Fernandes with Alejandro Garnacho and Amad Diallo further forward.
In Mainoo’s defence, he is not responsible for the rogue tactic not paying off as he tried his best against a trio of towering Palace centre-halves.
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After all, he is not a striker and has six goals in his professional career – albeit memorable ones against Wolves and Manchester City last season before his maiden European goal on Thursday night, his first strike of the season.
Zirkzee has 47, Hojlund has 57 and Aston Villa-bound Marcus Rashford has 155 – a penny for his thoughts as a fellow academy graduate started up front…
But in fairness to Amorim, it wasn’t all bad, either.
In fact, it started relatively brightly with Mainoo teeing up Garnacho well and also hitting the post.
But that chance with six minutes on the clock proved to be the youngster’s only shot of the match.
In his 70 minutes on the field, Mainoo racked up 31 touches in all – three in the Eagles’ penalty area – with 12 of his 15 passes successful.
He won three duels but lost nine and failed to complete a single dribble as he struggled to hold the ball up or stretch the Palace defence.
In the end, Mainoo was taken off with 20 minutes to go as Amorim sent on both Zirkzee and Hojlund – but neither of them offered much more.
And with that, Amorim is no closer to knowing where or who goals will come from in the second half of the season.
Diallo is United’s top scorer in the Premier League on six – three of which came late on against Southampton – with Fernandes on five, three of which have been from the penalty spot.
Next is Rashford on four – despite him not making a league appearance since December 7.
The January transfer window shuts on Monday night and United do not appear to be bringing a striker in to follow defenders Ayden Heaven and Patrick Dorgu into Old Trafford.
Amorim will be relieved to look at the fixture list and see it is Leicester in the FA Cup next.
The leaky Foxes defence have conceded 60 goals this season, including eight in two games away at Manchester United during their now-boss Ruud van Nistelrooy’s brief stint in interim charge with the Red Devils.
But when attention returns to the Premier League away at Spurs in a fortnight before games against Everton, Ipswich and Arsenal, who can Amorim rely on to deliver the much-needed goals to secure much-needed wins and earn much-needed points to climb up from 13th in the table?
On today’s evidence, it is not Mainoo – for Mainoo is a midfielder who chips in with the odd goal from time to time.
But is it Hojlund? Is it Zirkzee? Or does it need to be someone else?