Despite the disappointment of picking up yet another draw against a crap team and dropping into 7th in the table, there was a lot of good that we can take away from Fletcher's first time in the United dugout.
1. Formation
How great was it to see four at the back?
This was the first big thing to notice and it really made us all feel a lot more comfortable just like the players. They seemed more settled in this formation despite sometimes shifting to a back three when out of possession and still having general issues in defense but overall, we know this is the formation for MUFC.
There were also a lot of players in their preferred positions. The major one being Bruno Fernandes who started as a no 10 which is his best role. The captain returned with an assist for Benjamin Sesko and once taken off, there was a clear drop off in quality.
Casemiro and Ugarte are also a better pairing in midfield despite not having the best of performances particularly the Brazilian who was then hooked for Kobbie Mainoo who also struggled upon returning from injury.
The fact that Fletcher did use Mainoo for a good period (20 minutes) was another positive because Amorim had a habit of chucking him on for 5 minutes in which he had very little time to influence the game.
2. Left-footer on left, right-footer on right
This was kind of a throwback to yesteryear and the glory days of Ryan Giggs and his majestic left-foot on the left flank with the recently knighted Sir David Beckham using that wand of a right-foot down the right.
We don't often see this in modern football as it is all about inverted wingers/wide forwards.
I liked the fact that Fletcher used Patrick Dorgu as the left-winger even though he played well on the right in the victory over Newcastle in which he scored that epic volley that turned out to be the winner. That was also a position he wasn't entirely unaccustomed to having played there for Lecce.
What this meant was that Dorgu had no second thoughts about putting the early cross in, something that strikers love and defenders hate.
That second goal was a prime example. United worked it out wide to Dorgu who put the cross in first time. Great movement by Sesko allowed him to get in front of the defender and guide the ball into the far corner. We don't see this on the regular because usually, the winger/wide forward wants to cut in on their stronger foot which ends up slowing down or even killing attacks.
Cunha on the right was a problem because he was isolated for large portions of the game. That also isn't his best position at all as he is more used to playing on the left as a no 10 which is why he was perfect for Amorim's 3-4-3.
Playing him out wide also takes away from his best qualities to a point where he becomes a waste. He was substituted after 74 minutes after another disappointing performance.
I actually expressed concerns over the Brazilian's form this season as we've seen more displays like Burnley than what we saw against the likes of Brighton and Wolves at home.
Just having natural left-footers on the left and right-footers on the right can make a HUGE difference due to the quickness of the play. That split-second can be the key in scoring and not.
3. Good Substitutions
No defenders for attackers. Doing something a little unpredictable. And bringing on a youngster?!
I agreed with all Fletcher's changes. Bruno was clearly not fir enough to play the full 90 and taking him off after 90 minutes was correct. We've seen in the past with managers where they can sometimes push players (especially ones as important as Bruno) a little too far to the point where it runs the risk of them getting injured again.
A sensible change from the caretaker boss. With options on the bench, it made more sense even if we missed the magnifico. This also meant someone like Mason Mount got a decent amount of minutes after being out for a period as well.
I also liked the fact that he kept Sesko on. Managers have this stupid habit of taking strikers off when they're on a hat-trick and sometimes when they're playing well. Sesko was doing both.
When I saw Zirkzee get ready, I thought it would be for the Slovenian. Thankfully, that wasn't the case as he replaced the struggling Cunha with Mount moving to the right and the Dutchman playing as the no 10.
Another player who was struggling a little and had an unfortunate hand in the concession of Burnley's opener was Ayden Heaven. This was back-to-back games where he was involved is letting in goals and he did look as if his confidence took a little knock. It was good to see Fletcher offer him some support as he made his way to the bench so as to give the youngster some encouragement.
These substitutions weren't ones that just made sense but also ones that suggested Fletcher was going for the win as they were attacking. With Amorim, it was more defensive and one that tried to hold onto narrow leads instead of going for the victory. The Portuguese's were also substitutions that were very predictable unlike what Fletcher's were.
4. Shea Lacey
This boy has had a lot of praise for his performances and outright ability as a footballer. In the academy, he is one of United's biggest stars. Fletcher would know this better than most having been a part of the academy's setup for the last few years.
While he came on for the same amount of minutes (6) as he did in his only other first-team appearance, the impact he had in this match was tenfold to that at Villa Park.
His first touch was to strike the cross bar with a beuty off a shot. This kind of announced 'I am here.'
What an impact that would've been and had that had gone in, what a moment for the it could've been.
However, he wasn't done there as the next thing he did was hit another from distance with what people will now notice as a strong left-foot. Unfortunately, that went just wide and if we're being truly harsh, he perhaps shouldn't have taken that shot given the unlikelyhood of it going in and the little time remianing.
A moment to learn for the lad but it displayed the confidence within him to try for that shot all the same. And I like that. Youngsters with confidence is what we like to see at United.
I think what Fletcher also did was tell him to go out there and play with no fear while expressing himself to the best of his ability. After that intial attempt, whenever he got the ball, I (and I'm sure many others) moved forward in their seats in anticipation of what this talented youngster will do next.
And that is a good sign.
We've taken note.
Just seeing a youngster from the academy playing was a welcome sight as well because it is who we are as Man Utd and was one of the major criticisms I had of Amorim as he hardly used players from 'La Carrington.'
5. Kept It Simple
As the subtitle says, Darren Fletcher didn't try to do too much and overcomplicate things. It was the preferred formation, using players in their correct positions, trying to win the game and pretty much everything we want to see from a United manager as fans.
Amorim could sometimes try to run before the team could walk by changing formations from this to that in game whilst also having players out of position to the point where it was working against those individuals, the team and the manager.
That wasn't the case last night as the ex-Red did exactly what we were all crying out for.
Obviously there were still some similar issues like conceding 2 stupid goals, a midfield that was not really in control of the game and being a little wasteful in attack although we did hit the frame of the goal twice, Burnley made a couple of goal-line clearances, there were one or two good saves by Martin Dubravka and we had a goal wrongfully (in my opinion) ruled out for Lisandro Martinez.
On another day, we do win this one by 3 or 4 goals.
Nonetheless, it was a step in the right direction. Whether this type of progress will progress, we'll have to wait and see. The same can be said of Fletcher as caretaker although he will lead the side for Sunday's FA Cup tie against Brighton.
What impressed you most about Fletcher's debut as MUFC boss? Should he be given the role over the likes of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer or Michael Carrick?
Darren Fletcher took charge of first game as Man Utd caretaker coach in 2-2 draw with Burnley | Image via Manchester United official X (@ManUtd)