Ruben Amorim’s career at Manchester United continues to be scrutinised, and the Portuguese manager risks ruining his career if he doesn’t try to change his tactics at the Premier League club.
Problems went from bad to worse for Man United as they lost 3-1 to Brentford the weekend before last. The display summed up Amorim’s time in charge of the club. For the first goal they conceded, Man United lost the ball whilst in attack and one long ball saw Brentford’s Igor Thiago through on goal, with the Brazilian producing a great finish to give the Bees the lead.
Man United were 2-1 down in the second half, and had a huge chance to equalise, but Bruno Fernandes missed the penalty and Amorim’s side went on to lose 3-1.
Despite bouncing back with a win over Sunderland on Saturday, the club are in 10th in the Premier League with only three wins in their seven matches this season.
Amorim continues to tell the media that he will not change his tactics despite no improvements in performances. With the quality of the Premier League, this is a huge risk to take and could be the catalyst for his potential departure from Old Trafford.
Amorim has been at the club for 11 months. In that time, he has been in the dugout for 50 games, winning 20, drawing nine and losing 21. This record is simply not good enough and is especially not good enough for someone who doesn’t want to try something different to turn the poor form around.
This form is already seeing the manager under pressure, with multiple managers already linked with replacing him should he be sacked. Current Premier League manager Oliver Glasner is the joint-favourite to replace Amorim, whilst former England manager Sir Gareth Southgate is also amongst the favourites.
The mood around Old Trafford from fans is now mixed. Over the summer, the fan base were happy with the signings made and were happy to back Amorim. They saw the positives after the first Premier League game of the season, despite losing 1-0 to Arsenal, with the squad showing promising signs.
However, since then, the progression has stopped and the club are struggling to win matches. The cup defeat to Grimsby Town was embarrassing, and it saw a lot of Manchester United fans start to turn on the manager. The mood is now a lot more sour than it was a month or two ago.
At Sporting CP, the 40-year-old managed 165 wins, 33 draws and 33 losses in 231 games, which is a great record. This clearly shows that he has the quality to succeed as a manager at a good level. The Premier League is tough, but with Amorim knowing how to win in Portugal, it’s time for him to show his winning mentality. There’s only one way to do this: shake things up.
There are some top players at the club, but they look lost in this current formation. The midfield looks weak, whilst the defence is always open to counter-attacks. The suggestion of switching to a formation which has four defenders and three midfielders has been floated about. It would make sense as it would see the opposition have less space in the middle of the pitch, and it would play more to the strengths of players like Bruno Fernandes.
One thing is certain, and that’s the fact that these poor performances cannot continue. Amorim came to England highly rated, but if he carries on like he has been, then he will ruin his reputation and struggle to keep the high-profile job he currently has.
