Ruben Amorim - Manchester United Head Coach | Thread locked during matches

DJ_21 said:
No he’s not. He’s showing the players who’s boss and how unacceptable it is to be playing so poorly at home in front of all our fans. It’s only like in any other job, if you do bad then your manager most likely grills you. How’s he cracking up when it’s the first time he’s been annoyed since being here? He’s probably the most calmest manager in the league as you can tell in his press conferences.
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The problem is he’s now walked back those statements and said it was a mistake. I don’t think that’s a good look at all for a new manager. It shows weakness.

I really like the guy, I think he seems like a genuinely good person who is trying his absolute best under incredibly challenging circumstances, but ultimately I think he’s starting to show he’s a bit out of his depth here. Which probably isn’t actually a surprise, as he says so himself he’s a very young manager with relatively little experience.

The whole situation is just a very sorry mess. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if, privately, he had regrets about taking the job. Nor would I blame him.
 
Well I said he was stupid for saying this was probably the worst team in the history of Man Utd (and got some criticism here) because of the effect this would have on the players and the first thing he has done in his pre-Rangers press conference is slightly backtracking saying it was "a mistake" to say it and is "more about me than the players" because of all the losses since he arrived. Sorry. He didn't say he was the worst manager in the history of Man Utd because of the results so far under his reign. He said the team was. If you say team, then it IS about the players and that is what pretty much everyone has run with.

Then he says "we are really anxious playing especially at home". He then says "the team" was nervous. But then he says that doesn't mean he was nervous saying he as the manager was "frustrated". Baffling. So 'team' doesn't include manager now.

However he would be right if he said as of now he is the worst manager in the history of the club. Not just for the results so far but for persisting with a strategy that is just not working and then insisting he won't change those tactics. This hasn't changed and has to, at least until he has the players to allow him to fit his five at the back system. But he is too stubborn/arrogant to do that. And so far there's little in this player transfer window and all the negative PR on cost cuts floating around to gauge that there is any good news on incomings either.

No wonder the players are bloody nervous.
 
Wing Attack Plan R said:
Didn't Ted Lasso teach us anything?
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Ted Lasso was more an Ole type of manager ie the hand around the shoulder and zero tactics acumen style of manager. Correct me if I am wrong but he never won a trophy in the EPL as manager either.
 
Red in STL said:
As usual the solution is simple, clear out the garbage, how exactly are you supposed to do that? It's not like you can call the council and get them to take them away

If no one wants to buy them or pay the wages that we stupidly gave them what are the top brass supposed to do?

The reality is that most of the players the fans want out are going nowhere until either their contracts expire or the club accepts a low-ball offer which in some cases has PSR implications, players that we could get good fees for are the ones that a lot of fans don't want to leave, some of them may well have to so we can improve the whole
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And that is the truth. Amen. Moreover, because United has been in decline for more than a decade and the current manager doesn’t appear to be successful anytime soon, the best players won’t come. A successful rebuild hinges on improving midfield. The midfield has been unbalanced the past decade. That’s the reason why so many managers ultimately chose for counterattacking.
 
lsd said:
it was crystal clear he had been given a dressing down over what he said about being the worst team.

He was completely on the back foot during the press conference
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Is it not possible he just realised that his "worst ever" comments were counterproductive?
 
sixdwarf said:
Well I said he was stupid for saying this was probably the worst team in the history of Man Utd (and got some criticism here) because of the effect this would have on the players and the first thing he has done in his pre-Rangers press conference is slightly backtracking saying it was "a mistake" to say it and is "more about me than the players" because of all the losses since he arrived. Sorry. He didn't say he was the worst manager in the history of Man Utd because of the results so far under his reign. He said the team was. If you say team, then it IS about the players and that is what pretty much everyone has run with.

Then he says "we are really anxious playing especially at home". He then says "the team" was nervous. But then he says that doesn't mean he was nervous saying he as the manager was "frustrated". Baffling. So 'team' doesn't include manager now.

However he would be right if he said as of now he is the worst manager in the history of the club. Not just for the results so far but for persisting with a strategy that is just not working and then insisting he won't change those tactics. This hasn't changed and has to, at least until he has the players to allow him to fit his five at the back system. But he is too stubborn/arrogant to do that. And so far there's little in this player transfer window and all the negative PR on cost cuts floating around to gauge that there is any good news on incomings either.

No wonder the players are bloody nervous.
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Wow, micro-analyzing every sentence is a bit tedious.

English is not his first language, so I would cut him some slack in that regard, as it will not always come across 100% as intended.

As for the tactics part, this error we made would have happened no matter what formation we played in, as they were individual errors or a lack of concentration.But keep criticizing every little detail, must be fun
 
I got a lot of stick for saying this, but I genuinely believe the squad is good enough to be in the top 6, especially with the addition of a proven Premier League striker. It’s crazy to see how poorly this forum rates the players' abilities and potential. For me, it’s clear that the talent is there, but the performances just aren’t matching up.

I’m convinced that a top-tier manager would get far more out of this squad than Amorim is right now. Honestly, I don’t see any evidence that he should be trusted with funds to sign players tailored to his system or style.

At the moment, Amorim looks like the worst appointment since Sir Alex retired. He must get more out of this squad, even though it has obvious flaws, and we are crying out for a proper centre-forward.

What we really need is an overarching philosophy that isn’t dependent on the manager. The club should scout managers who fit into that vision rather than overhauling everything whenever a new manager comes in. Look at Barcelona during their peak – their style of play and philosophy ran through the club at every level.

When a new manager comes to United, it feels like everything has to change – tactics, recruitment, structure. That’s not sustainable in football. We need a clear identity, “The United Way,” that runs from the academy to the senior team. This vision needs to come from the top and be consistent throughout the entire club.
 
deef said:
Wow, micro-analyzing every sentence is a bit tedious.

English is not his first language, so I would cut him some slack in that regard, as it will not always come across 100% as intended.

As for the tactics part, this error we made would have happened no matter what formation we played in, as they were individual errors or a lack of concentration.But keep criticizing every little detail, must be fun
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agreed, some of the most shortsighted and miserable critique I've seen in some time. Fans who pine for instant gratification over longterm success will be miserable at the actions this manager and the club are taking.
 
Red in STL said:
No it doesn't, we obvioulsy have some players that are not good enough but we also have player playing in positions not best suited to them

2 decent WB's and a striker could transform this team to at least a semi-decent level

We have some potentially good youngsters to come thru that may replace some of departures that will naturally occur over the next couple of years

Evans, Eriksen and Lindelof will be gone in the summer, Maguire and Casemiro the following summer when their contracts are done
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Exactly the kind of thinking that has you in a compete mess for a decade plus and a quagmire for 3-4 years with no end in sight.
 
MUEricTheKing said:
I got a lot of stick for saying this, but I genuinely believe the squad is good enough to be in the top 6, especially with the addition of a proven Premier League striker. It’s crazy to see how poorly this forum rates the players' abilities and potential. For me, it’s clear that the talent is there, but the performances just aren’t matching up.

I’m convinced that a top-tier manager would get far more out of this squad than Amorim is right now. Honestly, I don’t see any evidence that he should be trusted with funds to sign players tailored to his system or style.

At the moment, Amorim looks like the worst appointment since Sir Alex retired. He must get more out of this squad, even though it has obvious flaws, and we are crying out for a proper centre-forward.

What we really need is an overarching philosophy that isn’t dependent on the manager. The club should scout managers who fit into that vision rather than overhauling everything whenever a new manager comes in. Look at Barcelona during their peak – their style of play and philosophy ran through the club at every level.

When a new manager comes to United, it feels like everything has to change – tactics, recruitment, structure. That’s not sustainable in football. We need a clear identity, “The United Way,” that runs from the academy to the senior team. This vision needs to come from the top and be consistent throughout the entire club.
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Some really good points, especially about new managers overhauling everything and a playing philosophy throughout the club.

I do not agree, however, that the current squad (even with the addition of a proven striker) is good enough for a top 6 finish. The league table doesn't lie.
 
witchtrials said:
Once again you're talking about zero pressure. But the alternative to extreme pressure is not zero pressure.

When, say, Wes Brown was introduced to the United side of course he had the pressure of being watched by millions on TV and tens of thousands in the ground.

But when he made mistakes on the pitch he had world class players around to try to cover them. He could also be taken out of the side and be brought back in for games that were less likely to be detrimental to his development.

Most people recognise there is an art to developing young players into first team regulars, and it doesn't just involve exposing youngsters to as much pressure as possible as soon as possible.
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That theory is actually false. What art? If a player is good enough, they are old enough. Do you think Mbappe was an art project? Do you think Palmer was an art project? Do you think Saka was ? No, most top players get into teams at a young age.

Wes Brown was a very good player, he was a squad player, similar to Collyer, who is in and out the team.

Football has changed and players are under more pressure from a younger age. Player loyalty is no longer there either, which means players want first team football as soon as they think they are ready.

Look at players like Sancho, Palmer, Porro, Lavia at City... all left for first team football because they didn't want to be an art project, even go back to KDB, Pogba, Salah.

Football landscape has changed.
 
The ETH fanclub really want Amorim to fail, don't they? All the doomposting and negativity, it's like some of you here would rather the team continue to wallow in mediocrity just to prove your FM tactics and pseudo psychology degrees right. The man's only had 2 months coming in the middle of the season where we're floundering in 13th, and I'm pretty sure Jim and co. know what we/they/he signed up for (as stupid as they may appear at times). We are trying to change the culture and footballing approach of this club, and whether it fails or not, considering Man Utd has been failing for more than a decade anyway, I'm personally happy to try a different approach. If it's 3-4-3 and a risky clearout of some of our VERY average players, then so be it.
 
MUEricTheKing said:
I got a lot of stick for saying this, but I genuinely believe the squad is good enough to be in the top 6, especially with the addition of a proven Premier League striker. It’s crazy to see how poorly this forum rates the players' abilities and potential. For me, it’s clear that the talent is there, but the performances just aren’t matching up.

I’m convinced that a top-tier manager would get far more out of this squad than Amorim is right now. Honestly, I don’t see any evidence that he should be trusted with funds to sign players tailored to his system or style.

At the moment, Amorim looks like the worst appointment since Sir Alex retired. He must get more out of this squad, even though it has obvious flaws, and we are crying out for a proper centre-forward.

What we really need is an overarching philosophy that isn’t dependent on the manager. The club should scout managers who fit into that vision rather than overhauling everything whenever a new manager comes in. Look at Barcelona during their peak – their style of play and philosophy ran through the club at every level.

When a new manager comes to United, it feels like everything has to change – tactics, recruitment, structure. That’s not sustainable in football. We need a clear identity, “The United Way,” that runs from the academy to the senior team. This vision needs to come from the top and be consistent throughout the entire club.
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Where have you been the past 10 years? I cant believe some fans still have not woken up and realize or accept the situation
 
Regalia said:
The ETH fanclub really want Amorim to fail, don't they? All the doomposting and negativity, it's like some of you here would rather the team continue to wallow in mediocrity just to prove your FM tactics and pseudo psychology degrees right. The man's only had 2 months coming in the middle of the season where we're floundering in 13th, and I'm pretty sure Jim and co. know what we/they/he signed up for (as stupid as they may appear at times). We are trying to change the culture and footballing approach of this club, and whether it fails or not, considering Man Utd has been failing for more than a decade anyway, I'm personally happy to try a different approach. If it's 3-4-3 and a risky clearout of some of our VERY average players, then so be it.
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There are two separate things. The ETH fan club, just so wierd after his abject failures, and awful signings he personally picked and still act as if he was unfairly treated. Someone yesterday called him one of Europe's top 'up and coming managers'. Aside from the fact he is 54, his Champions league run with Ajax was many years ago, and he utterly failed at United. As for Amorim, I was excited but now feel really nervous. Well run clubs have a clear style of play and recruit players and managers to fit it, Brighton a great example but plenty of others. Its really unusual to see a top manager fixated on one style and 3 at the back has rarely succeeded at a top level. In fact Chelsea the only team to win PL and Champions League playing this way. Unless perfectly executed its easily exploited, as shown by Brighton. It seems this was the approach Ashworth was following in what a set style, but Jim has gone for broke on Amorim, a bit like how the last lot went for broke with ETH.The fans want to lambast individual players but its the system exposing them, just as it was with ETH. INEOS are messing up big style
 
We Are Manchester United said:
He wont walk, he wouldn't get a pay out. Managers wait to get sacked so they can receive a massive pay out. We'll see if he's lost the dressing room tonight after his comments the other day.
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Most wouldn’t walk, true. But some do. And he strikes me as a principled guy. He also strikes me as the kind of a guy who can’t believe the situation he’s walked into is a thousand times worse than he thought it was. And walking stuff back in his PC yesterday.
You’re entitled to your own opinion, but no it would surprise me if during the remainder of this season if the form continued he just walked cause he had enough.
 
deef said:
Wow, micro-analyzing every sentence is a bit tedious.

English is not his first language, so I would cut him some slack in that regard, as it will not always come across 100% as intended.

As for the tactics part, this error we made would have happened no matter what formation we played in, as they were individual errors or a lack of concentration.But keep criticizing every little detail, must be fun
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You keep pointing to errors, they have been the cause of some losses.

But do you think we have been playing great? Do we create chances in this system? Do we dominate, do we force our will upon teams?

Take out the errors and it's fine and promising?
 
Normal that most here dont know him. But i can tell you this:

He is not overwhelmed, he is trying his best to provoke reactions and see who he can count on. (sometimes you make mistakes doing this, part of the game)

He would never wait for the sacking, he was never in it for the money. Very principled guy, will be the first to walk if he finds he cant improve the club as a whole.

I'm quite sure he was confronted with a long term scenario, in terms of finances and goals. That is the only explanation for some of his decisions and behaviours.

Even though i dont fancy what he did in Portugal (not being Sporting fan is the main reason), he is very trustworthy, competent and always works to improve the club in the long run, in all areas. (for me, he is the main reason Sporting made such a U turn in their profitability)
 
Regalia said:
The ETH fanclub really want Amorim to fail, don't they? All the doomposting and negativity, it's like some of you here would rather the team continue to wallow in mediocrity just to prove your FM tactics and pseudo psychology degrees right. The man's only had 2 months coming in the middle of the season where we're floundering in 13th, and I'm pretty sure Jim and co. know what we/they/he signed up for (as stupid as they may appear at times). We are trying to change the culture and footballing approach of this club, and whether it fails or not, considering Man Utd has been failing for more than a decade anyway, I'm personally happy to try a different approach. If it's 3-4-3 and a risky clearout of some of our VERY average players, then so be it.
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ETH fanclub? I think literally 100% agreed that he failed here massively, and deserved to be sacked. Some at different stages of his tenure.

To me he should have been sacked after the 7-0 defeat.

Though he failed, he also achieved some success and the crap we are in now, isn't all his fault.

Multiple things can be true at the same time, he has completely wasted money with Antony, Mount and to some lesser degree Hojlund. But truth of the matter is, the whole squad is playing far below their ability and so far Amorim isn't helping that much either.

The job for him is huge, he deserves time for it but there is also no guarantee at all that he'll succeed at it.
 
Regalia said:
The ETH fanclub really want Amorim to fail, don't they? All the doomposting and negativity, it's like some of you here would rather the team continue to wallow in mediocrity just to prove your FM tactics and pseudo psychology degrees right. The man's only had 2 months coming in the middle of the season where we're floundering in 13th, and I'm pretty sure Jim and co. know what we/they/he signed up for (as stupid as they may appear at times). We are trying to change the culture and footballing approach of this club, and whether it fails or not, considering Man Utd has been failing for more than a decade anyway, I'm personally happy to try a different approach. If it's 3-4-3 and a risky clearout of some of our VERY average players, then so be it.
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I dont think its the ETH fan club, people just want to be right and try to be negative. Many fans think this is FM where a team can be turned around in 2 weeks or something.

I would rather be in this position than have a new manager bounce and then 6 months later we hit problems we have hit now. This will give alot of players and people around the club a harsh reality of the situation.

Changing a culture at a football club is not easy, when most of the staff have been complacent and used to mediocracy and been rewarded for it.

I always like to use a house analogy.. to renovate it, you have to clear out before you can do it... you cant just put in new furniture and expect the problems to disappear. If the plumbing is leaking, putting a lick of pain on the areas is not repairing it, its just temporary cover.

We have been doing that for years. Rashford is the perfect example, every manager according to reports has had issues with him, yet he got a big wage.
 
Vault Dweller said:
Most wouldn’t walk, true. But some do. And he strikes me as a principled guy. He also strikes me as the kind of a guy who can’t believe the situation he’s walked into is a thousand times worse than he thought it was. And walking stuff back in his PC yesterday.
You’re entitled to your own opinion, but no it would surprise me if during the remainder of this season if the form continued he just walked cause he had enough.
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Who was the last manager to ‘walk’ away from a big club?
 
We aren't Real Madrid. This insistence that managers that come here should adapt to the players is rubbish. Ole and ETH both tried it and failed. The squad is not good enough and hasn't been for a long time to warrant that kind of privilege. He is doing exactly what I hoped he would do - come in and stick to his principles. This season is a wash anyway, you could argue it was fecked before he joined too. We aren't going to get relegated but won't make Europe either - you run that risk hiring a manager with such a different ideology halfway through the season.

I'd rather he continues forcing his principles on this squad - it gives them nowhere to hide, the players that are cut out to make it can stay and will stand out given how shite we are (Amad) and the rest that aren't good enough will eventually be replaced.

I'd rather we are really bad for the short to medium term with the intention to build a sustainable, successful side, rather than dwindle between 4th and 6th, taking the safer option, as we have done for almost a decade now. We tried it that way and have failed miserably.
 
Seems to me a lot of people on this thread should cut themselves some slack. There's no way for anyone here to have much of a clue about what's due to the system change, what's due to the level of application, or the mentality of the players, or the quality of the players, or the tightness of the schedule. When a team's this bad and this inconsistent, everything looks bad. Maybe Amorim will improve it, maybe he won't. If he does, it'll be in ways that aren't yet visible. Not much point in agonising or trying to pick it apart at this point.
 
justsomebloke said:
Seems to me a lot of people on this thread should cut themselves some slack. There's no way for anyone here to have much of a clue about what's due to the system change, what's due to the level of application, or the mentality of the players, or the quality of the players, or the tightness of the schedule. When a team's this bad and this inconsistent, everything looks bad. Maybe Amorim will improve it, maybe he won't. If he does, it'll be in ways that aren't yet visible. Not much point in agonising or trying to pick it apart at this point.
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Yep, sometimes we just have to let it run its course then make judgements. I am pleased that he is trying to play his style rather than adapting to these players.

However; it seems that he is adapting slowly, we seem to play better away from home in a counter attacking system. You can see Amorim is desperately trying to change that but these players just wont let it.

We end up conceding early goals at home, putting ourselves under pressure in almost every game.
 
AjaxCunian said:
You keep pointing to errors, they have been the cause of some losses.

But do you think we have been playing great? Do we create chances in this system? Do we dominate, do we force our will upon teams?

Take out the errors and it's fine and promising?
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Everyone can see that we are not paying great and I am not arguing that, but people are to stuck on this formation debate.
If you can't train play patterns in one formation you can't in another one.

After years in the other formation we were not playing great either and haven't got a clear or working structure in the build up.

"Take the error away and its promosing?" Yes of course. With better result comes confidence and with confidence everything gets easier and more enjoyable to watch.

I honestly don't know why I read through this thread because this short sighted reactions to every little thing is depressing.
 
deef said:
Everyone can see that we are not paying great and I am not arguing that, but people are to stuck on this formation debate.
If you can't train play patterns in one formation you can't in another one.

After years in the other formation we were not playing great either and haven't got a clear or working structure in the build up.

"Take the error away and its promosing?" Yes of course. With better result comes confidence and with confidence everything gets easier and more enjoyable to watch.

I honestly don't know why I read through this thread because this short sighted reactions to every little thing is depressing.
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Take the errors away and it's still crap, we might not have lost 7 out of 10 but maybe 5 out of 10 and 2 more draws.

Currently it doesn't look like anything and there are few to no signs of improvement.

Think Ruben Amorim might be the right guy, but hired at the wrong time. The minor tweaks Ruud made to the system seemed more effective than implementing a whole new one which doesnt suit the players.

A potential 8 months of losing in a worse rate than under EtH, will really not help long term. These weak players will have lost confidence in him already.
 
AjaxCunian said:
Take the errors away and it's still crap, we might not have lost 7 out of 10 but maybe 5 out of 10 and 2 more draws.

Currently it doesn't look like anything and there are few to no signs of improvement.

Think Ruben Amorim might be the right guy, but hired at the wrong time. The minor tweaks Ruud made to the system seemed more effective than implementing a whole new one which doesnt suit the players.

A potential 8 months of losing in a worse rate than under EtH, will really not help long term. These weak players will have lost confidence in him already.
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I think many people hugely underestimate the challenge of playing 3 CBs, there is a reason hardly any top teams do it. For those in the UK there was a great article in Times on this the other day. It needs to be really well drilled as you are always outnumbered in midfield, hence a CB needs to know when to step up. But the oppo draw CBs out and then bypass them. Great example in Brighton's first goal. Its really hard to do well and will leave us once again exposed in midfield.
 
AjaxCunian said:
Take the errors away and it's still crap, we might not have lost 7 out of 10 but maybe 5 out of 10 and 2 more draws.

Currently it doesn't look like anything and there are few to no signs of improvement.

Think Ruben Amorim might be the right guy, but hired at the wrong time. The minor tweaks Ruud made to the system seemed more effective than implementing a whole new one which doesnt suit the players.

A potential 8 months of losing in a worse rate than under EtH, will really not help long term. These weak players will have lost confidence in him already.
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A valid point and totally agree with you there, maybe it would have been better for this season to stick to a coach who plays a familiar formation but there is no guarentee that it would have worked.

The decision has been made and now we should stick together and work ourself out of there.

A few positive results and things can improve quickly. Atleast I hope so...
 
Gordon'sHill said:
I think many people hugely underestimate the challenge of playing 3 CBs, there is a reason hardly any top teams do it. For those in the UK there was a great article in Times on this the other day. It needs to be really well drilled as you are always outnumbered in midfield, hence a CB needs to know when to step up. But the oppo draw CBs out and then bypass them. Great example in Brighton's first goal. Its really hard to do well and will leave us once again exposed in midfield.
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The current Serie A and Bundesliga champions are doing it, so there's that as far as top teams go. The Times article sounds like the football clichés that wilfully bypass all tactical nuances but are presented as truisms in times of crisis to generate clicks. Conte, for example, with his 16/17 Chelsea side, throws this notion straight to the rubbish bin. The switch from 433 to 343 was made exactly because he was very open in the central areas. The goal against Brighton was conceded because no one put pressure on the first attacker and because Mazraui failed to anticipate the most obvious run in his area of responsibility. Finally, at this level, every system needs to be really well-drilled.
 
He looked very cool, calm and collected at first.

However, he's been a bit all over the place in his post match Brighton and then his pre-match Rangers pressers.

Fair enough him saying what he did against Brighton, but then he looked a bit stupid basically saying he doesn't know what he's doing, is young and still learning and made a mistake (obvious meaning the comment, but still, it made him look a bit like a clown). He should have just played it down a bit and said something like it's up to us all now to change that or say it's based on our poor form and league position - and paint a picture like we've obviously got the talent like against Liverpool and Arsenal - but he made him self look a bit silly.

One really annoying thing is him saying 'suffer' all the time, and he says it to mean different things - I know English isn't his first language but I think half the time he means fight and spirit and half the time actually meaning suffering.

He did it with the word panic too, said we look panicked at OT, which is completely true - then probably thought to himself actually I shouldn't have said that, then clarified HE isn't panicking (which it was clear he meant the players at first anyway), then when on a rant about him panicking about different things - it made him look a bit stupid again.

I also don't like how he says he knows one way and can not adapt, I know what he means, but he needs to phrase it a bit better.

In any case, he needs a lot of time, but as he has said himself, when results are not going well it's easy to blame. But again a win against Rangers and Fulham and we could easily be on our way again.

The biggest shame, I think, is that he's come in set on a system we don't have the players for, and potentially our 2 best attacking players are alienated (yeah Rashford it's his own fault) because they're wide forwards we don't use.

In hindsight, this should have been a VARIATION of his system to better suit our players, with a clear view it's going to be tweaked more and more to his ideal system and buy/train players towards it. If we go all in on him over the next 3-4 transfer windows and it doesn't work out - we'll have players set for a system we're likely going to immediately drop (granted, attacking wing backs are very useful in modern football, so that's probably not much of an issue, but multiple number 10s and no wingers might be).
 
There's a lot of cognitive dissonance around 'the system'

It seems a lot of our fans (and Amorim himself) are happy to state that too much importance is placed on the system (which is bollocks frankly, playing 3 at the back alone is completely different to playing with 4) but also that the system is so important it must absolutely not be deviated from.

Which is it?

I firmly believe any top manager should be able to adapt. That doesn't mean throw everything out of the window but accept that this is a different league with different players and make the best of it. Even if the end goal is to replicate the Sporting system exactly evolve towards it, don't assume it can be implemented overnight with no proper opportunity to train the players in the busiest part of the season - that's insane.

I wouldn't totally blame the players for losing all faith in the system given results and performances. I have huge questions about their qualities, but honestly the argument of the majority of them not 'trying' doesn't convince me anymore. They are very clearly struggling and need help.
 
Gordon'sHill said:
I think many people hugely underestimate the challenge of playing 3 CBs, there is a reason hardly any top teams do it. For those in the UK there was a great article in Times on this the other day. It needs to be really well drilled as you are always outnumbered in midfield, hence a CB needs to know when to step up. But the oppo draw CBs out and then bypass them. Great example in Brighton's first goal. Its really hard to do well and will leave us once again exposed in midfield.
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I like the use of 3 CBs, however it's very important that one of them becomes essentially a defensive midfielder to counteract what you mention.

It can give great flexibility.

Our issue is our midfield isn't very good, and because of the poor wingbacks (especially Dalot, for this system) we're trying to compensate with the number 10s and we then have a gaping hole in the middle.

The same reason why our defenders looked so bad under EtH - because when you have to defend for 80 of the 90 minutes and look nervous because of it and making mistakes it's easy to look like the defence is crap, with a better midfield the defenders don't have to defend as much, don't make mistakes and then look good.
 
Having a mindset refusing to adapt in a sport that literally demands adaptation every season, at the age of 39, is....something.
 
It’s funny cause what a manager says to media , in general shouldn’t really matter. And when things are going well it actually doesn’t matter one bit.

The hysteria around what Amorim or even ETH used to say is silly. I get there is a certain way to navigate this toxic element to management where you have to show a little leg and do the dance with the gutter journalists , but social media just amplifies it beyond ridiculous proportions.

If we win tonight , he can say what he wants and it won’t matter , particularly if we win at the weekend. If he loses , it won’t matter what he says, it will be more about how bad it’s possible for the narrative of what he said to be twisted against him.
 
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