Ruben Amorim - Manchester United Head Coach

[saik]

As long as there's progress on the pitch, it'll be grand. The problem with previous managers was lack of progress. I think the majority will accept an 8th place finish if we're starting to play functional football that's nice on the eye. For now.

Thing is both go hand in hand. If there is progress on the pitch then why are we accepting of an 8th place finish?

We are no better or worse than teams like Spurs, Villa, Newcastle or Chelsea so theoretically top4 challenge is possible. 5th or 6th place at worst is what should be easily achievable. Anything worse than that and he has underperformed.

 

[OmarUnited4ever]

Disagree totally, not saying we have quality all over the pitch, but as a coach, Amorim should be able to coach this squad to play his way, by hook or by crook, and by end of this season, things will be clear and perhaps some minor additions, we can't have the narrative that every head coach hired will have to rip it apart and get his own players in.

 

[HookedOnAPhelan]

Disagree totally, not saying we have quality all over the pitch, but as a coach, Amorim should be able to coach this squad to play his way, by hook or by crook, and by end of this season, things will be clear and perhaps some minor additions, we can't have the narrative that every head coach hired will have to rip it apart and get his own players in.

That's not the issue. The problem is that loads of these players are nowhere near good enough.

 

[saik]

Disagree totally, not saying we have quality all over the pitch, but as a coach, Amorim should be able to coach this squad to play his way, by hook or by crook, and by end of this season, things will be clear and perhaps some minor additions, we can't have the narrative that every head coach hired will have to rip it apart and get his own players in.

100% agree. There's a reason why we have changed the head coach. He also has a responsibility to get the best out of the existing lot.

Hopefully with a bit more time together with these players he can get better performances than what we've seen yesterday.

 

[hellhunter]

The idea that every coach needs or is entitled to wholesale changes to make a team function completely defeats the purpose of a manager. Not saying there can't be adjustments, but it's his job (and every other managers) to get something out of the squad he has available. Amorim himself seems to share this view

 

[AndyMindMk5]

I am still on high Bosnia beating Croatia in basketball. But we were bad yesterday, like really bad. Some big moves need to happen or it will be same story like with any past manager.

 

[Cassidy]

And how does this improve their situation?

Another reset, more time to keep getting paid and play for a big club. I'm not saying that's what the deal is, I'm simply answering the question.
Not everyone's motive in their career is to win, its a career after all

 

[Hughie77]

Have to see how these implement his Idea, it's not unusual to say some footballers are thick, maybe there's 1 or 2 in utd squad Amorin now needs to figure out in game time not training who's who, I played with great trainers but come game time useless, Same can be said about this lot. Imo we should see a idea and more continuity in our play after 10 games or so under him.

 

[Cassidy]

That's stupid though because eventually these players retire, leave or are sold anyway. This is not the same group of players every year, contrary to what most United fans on here think. Casemiro didn't get LVG fired? In fact, no player got him fired, for example.

I never said players get a manager fired. If you realise that you get paid very well and are not good enough to win PL titles, what are your options as an individual player?
One it to leave and go to a club more your level and take a pay cut, the other may be to try and improve, another maybe to keep hiding and avoiding blame and see out your contract and hope you get a new one

If the club is successful in that scenario, as a player for who that is way beyond their level, you are either found out once the level rises and are sold or contract is not renewed. Self preservation is a real thing in all careers and not just football, or office careers.

 

[The holy trinity 68]

I’ve got a soft spot for Darlington.

We got our mate to be the mascot for a Darlo v Boston game 2 seasons ago for his stag do. Walked out with David Wheater and was given a strip a size too small. Had to do the pitch walk around with a 9yr old ball boy.

Absolutely hilarious day but was fantastic. Darlo were great sports with it. Won 2-1 too.

great story

 

[The holy trinity 68]

I moved up to Newcastle a few years back but Darlo born and bred. Still have a season ticket and all of my family are still there so back all the time.

Nice one mate.

I went to a couple of games last season, but haven't been to as many as I would like lately tbh.

 

[sunama]

The good news is Everton are next at home

They didn’t score in November and Dyche is still sticking with Calvert Lrwin who is a target man not a striker

No risk of conceding more than 1 goal on Sunday and we should easily score 2 or more

Everton’s full backs are the worst in the league

Ashley Young who’s best days are well behind him and Mykelenko who is a poor left back who never goes forward

If they didn't score in November, they'll likely score against us.
That's how it normally works.
If a striker has not scored for 5 years, he'll play against us and score a hat-trick!

 

[sunama]

More than half the CAF will be calling for his head if results don’t come along. Amorim is in a tough position to implement his ideas and style and get results at the same time. Let’s see!

That's the nature of managing a big club (with big finances), these days.
Pep, in his first season with MCFC got 4th place (I think) and he did say that if he got fired for that, he would not begrudge his bosses.
If we can finish in the top 6 this season, I think it will have been a job well done for Amorim, but next year, 6th place won't be good enough.

The amount of money we have spent on transfers is ridiculous and the return on that huge investment has been pitiful.

Results is the answer really. ETH tried to play his preferred style and majority of time results suffered so he switched to a more pragmatic style of football.

I've said it before in this thread but it'll be interesting to see if Amorim has the character to stick to his system even if results continue to suffer. He said it himself that he needs to buy time but if results don't come along the pressure will be huge on him.

If the results suffer badly, as in we are stuck in the middle of the table (say 10th place), he'll have no choice but to compromise and start playing pragmatically as ETH did.
The honeymoon period which Amorim is in now, will be finished in a few months.
The first half of next season will be crucial for him - if we are a midtable team in December 2025, I think he'll be gone.

 

[Abhinav]

100% agree. There's a reason why we have changed the head coach. He also has a responsibility to get the best out of the existing lot.

Hopefully with a bit more time together with these players he can get better performances than what we've seen yesterday.

We changed the head coach because after 2+ years in charge, we saw no clear identify and plan, no signs that we were on an upward curve, and most importantly, that coach was heavily involved in a squad overhaul with a spend close to 700m.

This does not mean that what we have is good enough. If I look purely at the attacking talent on the books, we have very limited options, with no standout player who could be relied upon. In this context, Amorim’s job is to create a visible identify and way of playing, and to identify players that fit into the identity and those that do not. Yes, this should also lead to better performances, but that is not the only goal.

 

[AneRu]

As long as there's progress on the pitch, it'll be grand. The problem with previous managers was lack of progress. I think the majority will accept an 8th place finish if we're starting to play functional football that's nice on the eye. For now.

This and, in addition, he has to hold uncommitted players accountable. I'd rather finish 16th with a team that is doing what he demands, listening to instructions and playing for each other than waste time with obstinate and lazy has beens only to finish 8th.

That was my problem with Ten Hag, he had undying loyalty for players who didn't have the heart or strength to fight for him on the forlorn hope that they would score a few goals whilst compromising on his principles. If he sticks with the uncommitted ones in the starting line up he will lose my support quickly.

 

[Blood Mage]

If we don't intend to overhaul the squad then I'm concerned that we've hired the wrong coach. Not because I don't rate Amorim because I do, but these players are totally unsuitable for high intensity football.

We might as well have brought Ole back and reverted to low block counter-attacking, we'd probably get better results.

 

[Vault Dweller]

Nice to see some other people from Darlo are on this forum. I live on the new estate over at West Park

I moved up to Newcastle a few years back but Darlo born and bred. Still have a season ticket and all of my family are still there so back all the time.

Nice one lads. Lived there for 15 years as a kid before moving back to Scotland. Love it, still visit often to see friends and family.

 

[Red Comet]

The idea that every coach needs or is entitled to wholesale changes to make a team function completely defeats the purpose of a manager. Not saying there can't be adjustments, but it's his job (and every other managers) to get something out of the squad he has available. Amorim himself seems to share this view

There has to be a North Star we are aiming for no? Either we

• acknowledge that with the players at his disposal, playing their familiar 4-2-3-1 (that RvN deployed in the few matches he manages) can only get us so far, and therefore changes to tactics and coaching, or even players is required, -OR-
• We continue playing 4-2-3-1 and try to sign better players in every position.

We've seen a bit of both in the last few managerial appointments. Ole (and Ruud) went with the familiar, while LvG tried to implement his "football philosophy" to the point where he dared to move on established players and promoted a bunch of youth players, even mediocre ones, who will play exactly the way he demands.

I'm not sure of Mou because that is the period where I don't actively watch Man Utd play save for the cup final. I genuinely can't stand his football.

EtH on the other had, I don't know what he's trying to accomplish. I think he was trying to implement his style of playing, but results were so bad and he felt the pressure to revert back to what the players are familiar with while slowly incorporating his style and the club ended up being neither here nor there.

I think when the club hierarchy appoints Amorim, there must be some acknowledgment internally that the club needs a change and will give Amorim time to implement his ideas as long as we see improvements to the way we play and don't end up getting relegated.

 

[Valencia Shin Crosses]

Think he’ll eventually get the team playing more as a unit as it takes time to drill in these new patterns and positions. My fear is still that we won’t get enough desired results in that time because of how little quality we have in the final third right now. We had at least 3 instances of excellent drilled patterns of movement that resulted in Garnacho being put clean through and nothing came of any of them. Right now Amad is the only player I can trust to play consistently “clean” in the final third and not just cock up consistently good opportunities through stupid decision making or poor technique. The rest of them you’re more surprised when they actually pull off and do the right thing in front of goal than not which means even if the team solidifies and plays better we’ll still be stuck in tight games because of our inability to execute in attack.

 

[sglowrider]

Sheeran has apologised and said he didn’t realise there was a live interview going on.

What did he think it was then? BBQ?

 

[Josep Dowling]

For whatever reason, I have 100% confidence that he's going to be a great manager for us. Looking forward to him putting a team out on Thursday that will send a message to the prima donnas in our squad.

Unfortunately I have that feeling as well and I don’t think it will necessarily be his fault. His system of 3-4-3 will be ridiculed because it’s an unusual system in the UK and ‘it’s not the Man Utd way’. I know some fans will say Conte won the league using that system, which is true, but United fans aren’t use to it. If results don’t go his way early on the media and fan base will start blaming the system rather than the useless bunch of players we have. Calls will be made to play a system that favours the players. It will be interesting to see if the club have the patience.

 

[Lentwood]

Sounds like you’re massively overrating the standard of international football honestly. As I said they’re not all bad, that much is obvious. Defending Lindelof by saying he’s captain for Sweden is just nothing really. It’s Sweden? No offense to them. As you literally say he’s 5th choice for us, doesn’t that show the level?

I don't think that's the point being made is it...the point being made is, even a bloke who is miles off our best XI is good enough to be captain of a nation regarded as being at least 2nd/3rd tier at international level.

We can go round and round arguing about players but nobody is telling me that Villa have a better team than us, and they finished 4th last season and have just beaten Bayern.

We have been very poorly coached for three seasons now, arguably even longer...let's see what these players can do under a real coach...I think they will surprise people.

 

[Cassidy]

Unfortunately I have that feeling as well and I don’t think it will necessarily be his fault. His system of 3-4-3 will be ridiculed because it’s an unusual system in the UK and ‘it’s not the Man Utd way’. I know some fans will say Conte won the league using that system, which is true, but United fans aren’t use to it. If results don’t go his way early on the media and fan base will start blaming the system rather than the useless bunch of players we have. Calls will be made to play a system that favours the players. It will be interesting to see if the club have the patience.

Maybe you read the OP wrong...

 

[Cassidy]

I don't think that's the point being made is it...the point being made is, even a bloke who is miles off our best XI is good enough to be captain of a nation regarded as being at least 2nd/3rd tier at international level.

We can go round and round arguing about players but nobody is telling me that Villa have a better team than us, and they finished 4th last season and have just beaten Bayern.

We have been very poorly coached for three seasons now, arguably even longer...let's see what these players can do under a real coach...I think they will surprise people.

We thought ETH was a real coach...

 

[Camy89]

Sheeran has apologised and said he didn’t realise there was a live interview going on.

Absolute shite. He knew what he was doing.

 

[Cheimoon]

No issue with your post but I do find the posting of random aggregator accounts baffling when the poster could easily have just posted the actual journalists tweet.

That's true too.

 

[dutchred]

Curious to see what team he puts out on Thursday. Hope he give some youngsters a chance, especially up front

 

[tjb]

Funny enough, i like the Ipswich game. Especially when having a direct comparison to his Sporting team, it makes it clear what we need from certain positions and why it didn't happen yesterday.

• To start with, Evans' physical and technical limitations playing at left centre back were exposed. When Shaw replaced him, you could see the clear difference in speed and even passing from the back line. Shaw fits the position and so does Martinez, so we may have a scrap for that left centre back position.
• Eriksen and Casemiro didn't work. There were clear physical limitations, particularly from Eriksen, which left us consistently losing duels in midfield. The system demands intensity and athleticism from the CM's. Again, Ugarte coming into the middle and immediately impacting our ability to regain possession, shows just how much both Casemiro and Eriksen were lacking. Casemiro may be able to deputize for the no.8 role, but that no.6 role needs to be an athletic ballwinner. Bruno actually looked good as an 8 in this system.
• Our attacking midfielders lacked presence, due to their inability to play on the turn. One person having this issue would be fine, but both positions struggling in this manner meant that even in situation where we had the ball in the middle, they either didn't make themselves available for the pass due to fear of losing the ball or actually lost their duel. What was quite clear for me is that neither Garnacho or Rashford have the close control to play either of the roles behind the striker. Amad, Bruno and Mount seem like they can work in these roles.
• Rashford may have scored, but his inability to hold off, play on the turn , intensity in the press and recognition to run into channels were exposed. He may improve on this with training and time, but the clock is ticking. Hojlund looked like a much better alternative when he came on.

Overall, the biggest takeaway from this game for me was that we need athleticism in key positions. Athleticism in the wing back position on the flank. Athleticism in the wide centre back roles and athleticism in the central midfield areas. For me, more than technical ability, this is the most important thing we should be looking at, both starting and in depth.

 

[Irrational.]

Amorim is facing a level of scrutiny he has never faced in his life. He will have to learn to stop giving the media tidbits to feast upon and stay away from the bastards.

 

[OmarUnited4ever]

That's not the issue. The problem is that loads of these players are nowhere near good enough.

Still he has to coach them somehow, get the best out of them, we have a huge squad, again I am not saying they are 100% good enough to get 4th or win something, but they can achieve something and Amorim has to make it happen with this group first to prove his coaching prowess.

100% agree. There's a reason why we have changed the head coach. He also has a responsibility to get the best out of the existing lot.

Hopefully with a bit more time together with these players he can get better performances than what we've seen yesterday.

100%, and if Amorim can get these lot to play proper football, it will be sort of a proofing concept that with better players Amorim will do wonders, but for now it's what he's got at his disposal.

 

[3KDré]

Unfortunately I have that feeling as well and I don’t think it will necessarily be his fault. His system of 3-4-3 will be ridiculed because it’s an unusual system in the UK and ‘it’s not the Man Utd way’. I know some fans will say Conte won the league using that system, which is true, but United fans aren’t use to it. If results don’t go his way early on the media and fan base will start blaming the system rather than the useless bunch of players we have. Calls will be made to play a system that favours the players. It will be interesting to see if the club have the patience.

I don't think it will be ridiculed. Most people support it. There is also no set United way. Just win trophies playing attractive football with our own youth players.

I also think United fans are some of the most patient about. It took a year of terrible results before people started getting fed up with Ten Hag, despite the system clearly being suicidal.

Everything he says so far is also exactly how we think - ignore the short term results and prioritise the identity. It's what we all wanted from Ten Hag, but he abandoned it 2 games in for results.

 

[saik]

If the results suffer badly, as in we are stuck in the middle of the table (say 10th place), he'll have no choice but to compromise and start playing pragmatically as ETH did.
The honeymoon period which Amorim is in now, will be finished in a few months.
The first half of next season will be crucial for him - if we are a midtable team in December 2025, I think he'll be gone.

That's the thing really isn't it? Hopefully he can start picking up results along with performances soon otherwise he'll have no choice but to chase results by hook or crook. He acknowledged himself that he needs to win time(as in earn time by showing something) so I'd like to think he's a smart man and change something quickly if it isn't working.

 

[FriedClams]

I genuinely believe his way of playing can work in the premier league to a very high level, his problem is simply the players are mostly not good enough to play the system. In full flow and in possession, if all the clogs are turning, there are so many combinations available at all times which will naturally lead to the opposition being more conservative and dropping deeper, leaving space for our players to dictate. But right now, we have too many players who are careless with the ball;

Casemiro, some of his long passing attempts are truly shocking
Eriksen is so predictable when facing his own goal
Dalot is just woeful in possession, he had one good pass yesterday in behind that was more out of necessity because he had no other option
Garnacho dribbling is very inconsistent
Bruno was good yesterday but his bal retention is usually quite poor
Hojlund link up play is awful
Rashford just doesn't fit the system

I think Ruben will be realizing pretty quickly that he does not have the talent at the club he needs, and bring in players he knows pretty quickly. We HAVE to give him as long as it takes, because at Sporting, he's built a team that just thumped man city 4-1 after going behind and looking out of sorts, and the players he left behind are going to make it very difficult v arsenal too.

 

[George The Best]

That's not the issue. The problem is that loads of these players are nowhere near good enough.

I disagree to an extent. I think, when fit, we have a good enough back 3 and some cover. I think he will re-profile the mid 4 with Mazraoui/Dalot as RWB’s and Shaw at LWB, Ugarte & Mainoo central. That looks pretty solid to me. There’s an argument to be had about the two #10’s but we have Amad, Bruno, Mount & Garnacho who could all play there. Striker is our big problem. If Hojlund starts to click then great, but it’s a risk. Nevertheless that sort of line up has reasonable athleticism and age profile.

 

[saik]

We changed the head coach because after 2+ years in charge, we saw no clear identify and plan, no signs that we were on an upward curve, and most importantly, that coach was heavily involved in a squad overhaul with a spend close to 700m.

This does not mean that what we have is good enough. If I look purely at the attacking talent on the books, we have very limited options, with no standout player who could be relied upon. In this context, Amorim’s job is to create a visible identify and way of playing, and to identify players that fit into the identity and those that do not. Yes, this should also lead to better performances, but that is not the only goal.

I'd like to argue we were on a slightly upward curve in regards to performance this season, albeit nowhere near enough and that there was a plan. I have argued plenty that we deserved to win games against Palace, West Ham and Brighton and were let down by poor finishing and freak offsides in those games.

Even with these players we should have won those games as it came down to fine margins so yea, Amorim's job is to get better performances from the existing lot. I'm not saying we have a squad to win the league, but our squad is easily good enough to challenge for top 4. Growing pains of a new system and barely any time with these players so I don't want to be too critical but we were lucky to even come out with a point yesterday and I'm pretty sure he saw the same.

 

[Scottynaldinho]

I'd like to argue we were on a slightly upward curve in regards to performance this season, albeit nowhere near enough and that there was a plan. I have argued plenty that we deserved to win games against Palace, West Ham and Brighton and were let down by poor finishing and freak offsides in those games.

Even with these players we should have won those games as it came down to fine margins so yea, Amorim's job is to get better performances from the existing lot. I'm not saying we have a squad to win the league, but our squad is easily good enough to challenge for top 4. Growing pains of a new system and barely any time with these players so I don't want to be too critical but we were lucky to even come out with a point yesterday and I'm pretty sure he saw the same.

I agree and will add that his footballimg philosophy is not that much different to that of ETH (at Ajax). We've played very good football this season but in patches. The squad is definitely "coachable" for the lack of better word.

 

[santeria13]

His face

When he said 'I don't want to talk', I could only think of one thing:

 

[Stig]

Having to tell a striker to get in the box for crosses is depressing

It made me laugh.

But it's so true .

We are generally terrible at getting people into the box.

Antony for example never moves in if we we are tacking from the other win.

Once . In the league cup final.

 

[RyRy11]

2 trainings with the full squad is what I thought it was?

I think he just meant two sessions with everyone available after international duty.

Ahh okay, this makes sense

 

[Fugeeface]

I don't care at all that the game went how it went. It felt better than the last year of Ten Hag. I really hope that Amorim sticks with what he wants, no matter what happens. This season will be a tough ride but I'm sure we'll benefit from it next season.