by Ruben Amorim’s style of play has taken Portugal by storm since he became Sporting manager four years ago – convincing Liverpool to bring him to Anfield in the summer.
With reports suggesting that Amorim has agreed a three-year deal with Liverpool to replace Jurgen Klopp once he leaves, plenty of Reds supporters have been left excited about what they can expect from the Portuguese boss.
But what is Ruben Amorim’s style of play and tactics that Liverpool fans will see in the Premier League next season? FourFourTwo delves deeper into the analysis of his teams below.
Ruben Amorim’s style of play and tactics
The first thing to note about Ruben Amorim is his clear preference for a 3-4-3 formation – something that, on paper, Liverpool have never really used under Jurgen Klopp since he took over in October 2015. At Sporting, Amorim has adapted the formation in such a way that every single player knows their job while on the pitch, and it’s likely that he will stick with the setup in the Premier League.
In possession from a goal kick, Sporting typically create a diamond with the back three and goalkeeper, allowing the two midfielders to push slightly higher and wider on the pitch. The central defender – usually former Liverpool defender Sebastian Coates – operates at the tip of that diamond, acting as an option to bounce angled passes through from either his goalkeeper or centre-back partners. Virgil Van Dijk would likely perform this role at Liverpool, having already become experienced with the role for the Netherlands national team.
With the two central midfielders slightly higher and wider than Coates, passing lanes are therefore created for the wider centre-backs to play through directly towards the forward three. Turning a high-press opposition in this way often creates plenty of chances, and is perfect in playing to Liverpool’s strengths of directness and quick play.
The two wing-backs, meanwhile, hug the touchline at all times during the game, supporting attacks by staying as high and wide as possible. With the centre forward (Victor Gyokeres) doing the same to the opposition centre-backs, this allows the other two forwards in the line up to drop into dangerous half-spaces, as well as make runs into the space the No.9 has created.
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Gil Vicente head coach, Vitor Campelos, highlights Amorim’s preference for his forwards.
“He likes to have technical players in the forward line with the two wingers, Edwards and Pedro Goncalves,” Campelos told Sky Sports. “Edwards is having a good season. But the biggest surprise here is the striker who was in England [Gyokeres]. He is an amazing player. He is strong and he is fast.”
When higher up the pitch, Amorim enjoys one of his central midfielders sitting slightly deeper than the other, acting as a pivot to bounce passes off and set the tempo of the game. Morten Hjulmand performs that role currently at Sporting, while Hidemasa Morita acts as a more box-to-box option for the team.
Sporting’s structure also enables them to play direct across the pitch. With the centre forward surrounded by team-mates, longer balls are often dropped into Gyokeres, who lays passes off to the other forwards around him, while switches of play are extremely common due to the high and wide wing-backs.
So, while Liverpool might not necessarily be adept at playing a 3-4-3 formation right now, they certainly have the players to perform their roles at an extremely high standard.
What Liverpool might look like under Amorim
With Van Dijk likely to play in the centre of defence, Joe Gomez and Ibrahima Konate are both sound options to sit either side of him. Amorim might look to bring in a left-footed player for one of the positions, though, in order to break lines that bit easier.
Alexander-Arnold and Robertson, meanwhile, could both play as marauding wing-backs, with Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai fitting the roles of Hjulmand and Morita perfectly. Up top, Darwin Nunez or Cody Gakpo playing up against the centre-backs will help create space for Mohamed Salah and either Luis Diaz or Diogo Jota to play slightly more in-field and create problems there.
How Amorim likes to defend
Defensively, Amorim wants his side to be intense and ready to pounce during transitions – straight from the Jurgen Klopp handbook, one may argue.
The 3-4-3 becomes more of a 5-2-3 out of possession, with the inside forwards briefed to press the two centre-backs while the striker drops slightly to mark one of the midfielders dropping in to receive the ball. That allows the wing-backs to take control of the opposition full-backs, with the right- and left-centre-backs creating a high, albeit risky, defensive line that aims to suffocate the opposition.
At the centre of Amorim’s thinking, however, is his prioritisation of protecting the centre of the pitch. Arguably the most intense pressing side in Portugal, Sporting’s front three narrow to ensure there aren’t any gaps to play through, instead forcing the other team to go wide and attempt to progress that way.
“His team is really organised and fights a lot,”Estoril head coach, Vasco Seabra, also told Sky Sports. “He is always trying to improve his players too. He works with young talent but also with experienced players as well and what they all have in common is that they fight. They are really intense.”
That’s not to say Ruben Amorim isn’t adaptable, though, with the 39-year-old still changing tactics dependent on the opposition.
“Ruben has a tactical flexibility. He bases it on the opponent, particularly in Europe. He always considers the weaknesses of the opponent,” former Valenciennes assistant manager Joao Nuno Fonseca told Sky Sports.
“He plays a high defensive line most of the time and is good on transitions. It is still a positive game idea based around ball possession. This arrogance in the playing style is very positive for young players because they have this no-fear mentality. That is key.”
So, not quite Klopp’s heavy metal football – but a style of play that is set to endear Amorim to the Anfield faithful.
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