Like every Manchester United manager since Sir Alex Ferguson, Ruben Amorim entered his new job with massive expectations. He was tossed directly into the fire, joining the club mid-season amidst a chaotic start. Yet despite the adversity, he’s still been able to show flashes of promise in his first few matches.
Life under Ruben Amorim in Manchester has started quite well for the Red Devils, with two wins, a draw, and most recently a loss to Arsenal at the Emirates. It was a hectic start for the Portuguese coach, who had to quickly get used to the spotlight.
The Manchester United manager job has nearly impossible expectations assigned to it. The standard that Sir Alex Ferguson set is astronomical, something that Amorim’s predecessors know all too well. However, Amorim has something that none of them had — a proper sporting structure. After four games and countless interviews, we have a taste of what Amorim brings to the table both on and off the touchline.
Performances and Tactics
From minute one under Amorim, United have tried to play his style, which is a joyful sight for United fans. After almost three years of inconsistent football and a limited style of play, its nice to see a coach get players to play his way. Erik ten Hag’s refusal to play the Ajax way was one of the biggest gripes United fans had with him.
The 3-4-2-1 has been ever-present for United since Amorim’s debut, and while it has yielded some success, there has been an understandable adjustment period. The Ipswich and Arsenal games put this on display, as both featured limited attacking threat from the Red Devils. On the other hand, the Everton and Bodø/Glimt games showed more of the club’s attacking prowess and what it could look like under Amorim with more time.
Ever since the Ipswich game, United have looked more compact other than a few mistakes, but it is the transition play that has been most exciting. The ability to move the ball quickly from back to front and open space on the flanks has been a remarkable sight. Marcus Rashford’s goal against Everton is a quick example of how United can blitz a team and score quickly.
The biggest test was against Arsenal, Amorim’s first big six match. Despite a lineup that caused confusion amongst United fans, for the first 45, United neutralized the Gunners. Amorim showed his ability to create a game plan in this kind of big match. With better personnel, maybe it could have ended with a more positive result, but it is a nice lesson he learned. The best you wish for is he learns and then adjusts. That is what the best do, and it is something Amorim has done so far in his very brief spell.
Charisma
One of the biggest criticisms of ten Hag was his lack of motivation in press conferences. While tactics are the most vital aspect of managing, how coaches relay their message to both players and the public is important as well.
In his interviews with Sky Sports and BBC, Amorim said all the right things to excite Manchester United fans. He never said anything outlandish and kept it realistic. It is the manner and confidence he spoke in which was most impressive. Something United has not had since possibly Jose Mourinho. Maybe it is a Portuguese thing?
My favorite takeaway from his early interviews was how he explained that he will not ask for time, but the results will determine if he gets time. It is win or drown in his eyes.
The Press Conferences
Amorim’s press conferences so far have been a must watch, because his assessment of the matches has been refreshing to the ears of the United faithful. He has been honest about performances, like the Everton 4-0 win where he said the result was excellent, but the performance did not warrant such a result. That is a man that has his eyes set on both the short and the long term. He has also done well to temper the expectations of United fans. He explained the limitations that the squad has and that there will be bumps in the road. The performance against Arsenal is a good example of that. After the match, Amorim discussed United’s dire need for problem solvers in the final third.
The best example of what Amorim’s pressers will look like is the one after the Ipswich game. The performance was expectedly below average, and he was quick to explain the weaknesses of the players and what they need to work on. One example was Diogo Dalot and how he needs to learn how to hold width better. We saw Dalot show improvement in that this past Sunday against Everton. He is a very intense coach, but also quite fair.
Constant Rotation
Rotation is one of Amorim’s biggest strengths as a coach as he always tries to keep his players fit and minimize the risk of injury. A trend from Sporting that he has brought to United as the starting XI has been different in each match with only a select few players starting each of the four. Though some call it experimentation, the emphasis on rotation has been clear the last couple of matches. Last Thursday, Rasmus Hojlund played for a full 90 minutes, then rested for the full 90 on Sunday against Everton, before starting the match against Arsenal. Rashford, Joshua Zirkzee, and Amad Diallo all played 90 minutes against Everton and started the Arsenal match on the bench.
Players like Tyrell Malacia, Lenny Yoro, and Harry Maguire are some of the biggest beneficiaries of this rotation, as they are getting the minutes they need to get back into shape after lengthy spells on the shelf.
It remains to be seen how consistent Amorim is with rotations as he gets a better understanding of his squad, but considering the packed fixture list United face over the next couple of months, he will most likely continue to rotate.
It’s still too early to tell for sure, but there certainly have been promising signs thus far in Amorim’s tenure. Will he be the one to bring United out of the doldrums and back into the glorious spotlight?
