No manager in world football is under more pressure right now than Ruben Amorim, as his Manchester United were trounced thoroughly by rivals Manchester City in yet another humiliation for the no longer mighty Red Devils.
Amorim’s insistence on sticking to his 3-4-3/3-4-2-1 system has been the bane of Man United’s existence, as the approach is clearly not working, yet the Portuguese manager has shown no signs of relenting on having his way.
In a biting report from the Daily Mail’s Chris Wheeler, the veteran journalist states that some Manchester United players “have never been comfortable” with Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system, and while the club’s brass are still backing the coach, the players are losing confidence in the manager.
Furthermore, Amorim’s refusal to try something new or tweak his system is running the risk of losing some corners of the dressing room not even a full year into his tenure as Erik ten Hag’s replacement.
Amorim has such a low bar to clear over Ten Hag, who is apparently such a disastrous manager that Bayer Leverkusen fired him after just two games – and then beat a tough Eintracht Frankfurt side with nine men immediately after.
And yet Amorim has been a step backwards from Ten Hag. He is barely winning games, has Manchester United toiling in the middle of the Premier League table, and just got crushed by Grimsby Town in the League Cup.
If he doesn’t see the light soon, he could have a full-on mutiny on his hands with players frustrated at this system making them look terrible, and then it won’t matter how patient the suits want to be.
Joe Soriano is the editor of The Trivela Effect and a FanSided Hall of Famer who has covered world football since 2011. He’s led top digital communities like The Real Champs (Real Madrid) and has contributed to sites covering Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, and Schalke. Joe’s work has appeared in ESPN, Bleacher Report, and Sports Illustrated. He also helped manage NFL Spin Zone and Daily DDT, covering the NFL and pro wrestling, respectively.