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Ruben Amorim has been compared to Arsene Wenger due to his ‘stubbornness’ as United boss.
The Red Devils lost 3-0 to rivals Man City on Sunday, and after the game, manager Amorim controversially said that he will never change his 3-4-3 system at United, and if the club wanted a different system, they would need to change the manager.
His comments sparked a lot of criticism from pundits and fans, suggesting that he needs to change his system, as the current ideology is clearly not working for United, as they have won just one in four games so far this season.
Amorim told his ‘ego’ is reminiscent of Wenger at Arsenal
Amid Amorim’s comments saying that he refuses to change his philosophy at United despite the poor results, many have been quick to suggest that he is being stubborn and that his ego is getting the better of him. One such person is former United defender Paul Parker, who spoke about Amorim’s stubbornness exclusively to ManchesterWorld.
Parker said: “I kind of look at it now, and when I keep hearing these words being used like philosophy, I want to say **** off. The thing about it, as a football manager, is you're allowed to have a plan but then when you're saying ‘I'm not changing it’, - the moment you say that, you know that you are on a tightrope!”
The claims of Amorim’s stubbornness prompted Parker to compare him to former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger during his later days at the Gunners, when he refused to change the way he played, eventually leading to his resignation.
Parker added: “It becomes now stubbornness - ego, bravado, whatever; ‘If I go to a four at the back, everyone's going to be laughing at me’. It's a bit like a newer version of Arsene Wenger in his last few days at Arsenal, where he suddenly got stubborn, because he doesn't want fans, newspapers, media, and social media going, we told you so.”
Man United board ‘backing’ Amorim because of data improvement
Despite Man United having its worst-ever start to a Premier League season this year, it seems that the higher-ups at Old Trafford still have faith in Amorim to turn things around.
According to the Telegraph, the board shares Amorim’s view that the results have masked signs of improvement in the team, which they claim the data indicates. Man United’s shot numbers and touches in the opposition box are first in the league so far this season, alongside expected goals, which is second in the league.
The data suggests that United have improved in virtually every attacking metric compared to the majority of last season after Amorim took over from Ten Hag in the Autumn. However, the data can only save the United boss for so long; his results will need to improve if he is to keep his job.
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