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Most games are won or lost in the midfield. The managers have instilled that in the players and it remains that way today.
Few teams ask two players to take on three when they are not equipped for the job and given no help, so I found it strange that Ruben Amorim did it against a team as athletic as Newcastle on Monday night.
I was at Old Trafford and I could see the problem after a few minutes. When the Manchester United coach reacted, his team was losing 2-0 and the game was over.
It was football suicide and unless Amorim changes their system or personnel, performances and results are not going to change, particularly worrying as United are in 14th place.
We know Amorim's 3-4-3 worked very well for him at Sporting Lisbon, but the Premier League is a ruthless place.
Only one team has won the title here playing that way and Antonio Conte's Chelsea were lucky to have excellent holding midfielders Nemanja Matic and N'Golo Kante, who controlled two players, and Eden Hazard, who made sure that opponents were often more worried. on it they go themselves with the front foot. United doesn't have any of those assets.
Rubén Amorim has been criticized for his performance in Manchester United's 2-0 defeat against Newcastle
United's midfield formed by Casemiro and Christian Eriksen was invaded by the Magpies
They are easy to face and easy to beat. Playing with a formation in which you are outnumbered in midfield and then giving more running to Casemiro and Christian Eriksen, in their thirties, was a contradiction.
Although things improved in the second half under youngster Kobbie Mainoo, it was largely due to Newcastle being comfortably ahead and taking their foot off the accelerator.
Amorim has impressed me since arriving at Old Trafford, but this was his first significant black mark. He should have known that Newcastle are flying at the moment and their most energetic midfielder, Manuel Ugarte, has been suspended. But the result still took him by surprise.
United fans will be wondering what he does next. In the long term, if he wants to stick with the 3-4-3, he will need a lot of new players. The problem is not just the midfielders.
There is also a lack of legs in United's defence. Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt were reluctant to enter midfield for fear of being exposed to Alexander Isak. At the other end, Newcastle were prepared to press and push forward, confident that Fabian Schar could take on Rasmus Hojlund one-on-one.
If United had a back three with Virgil van Dijk, William Saliba and Mickey van de Ven, they could be much more aggressive. Since he has the legacy group for now, Amorim has to make some adjustments.
It may not fit with United's philosophy of open attacking football at the Theater of Dreams, but now is no time to worry about that. They need results. If you are determined to play with full-backs even during these difficult times, you should at least add an extra midfielder to become 3-5-2.
It would mean that the distances between their midfielders would be closer. At the moment, every team is beating United, not just Newcastle, but also Bournemouth and Wolves in recent games.
United have also suffered home defeats to the likes of Bournemouth (pictured) and Nottingham Forest in recent weeks.
Toby Collyer, 20, has made one Premier League appearance for the Red Devils this season.
He could also narrow the field by deliberately allowing opponents to have possession. Become more compact so your defensive unit is more united. They have counter-attacking threats like Amad Diallo and Alejandro Garnacho who could benefit from that.
He has served Nottingham Forest well this season, including in their victory at Anfield. United are in a mess.
Their forwards lack the brilliance of Mohamed Salah or Isak. The midfielders do not have the power of Ryan Gravenberch or Rodri. Amorim has to try something.
Whether it be giving young Toby Collyer a chance because he can move around the park or even putting Lisandro Martínez in midfield to allow Leny Yoro a run of games. One thing seems certain. Sticking to the current formula will lead to more failures.