Man Utd's legendary former goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel disagreed with Ruben Amorim during his last press conference
Peter Schmeichel
Schmeichel disagreed with what Amorim said in his press conference.
(Image: Sky Bet)
Peter Schmeichel believes Ruben Amorim was wrong to suggest Manchester United need to sack him if they want change.
Speaking after the Manchester derby defeat, Amorim was asked whether he would change his approach after United's worst start to a Premier League season since 1992/1993.
Amorim responded: "When I want to change my philosophy, I will change. If not, you have to change the man. I believe in my way and I am going to play my way until I want to change."
United's head coach has stuck by his system, but Schmeichel thought Amorim made a mistake in his post-match press conference because he 'put himself above the club'.
In an interview with Sky Bet, Schmeichel reacted to the Manchester derby defeat, which increased the pressure on Amorim's shoulders at a time when he needs to secure positive results.
Schmeichel explained: “You always have to look at what the manager’s job is; you’re employed to win football matches. At Manchester United, that also means winning trophies, and right now he’s not doing that.
"His win percentage is around 36%, which is the worst performer of any United manager since World War II. Sticking by his guns obviously isn’t working. Bruno Fernandes said after Sunday’s game that it’s very difficult to play in midfield when you’re always one man short, because you can’t cover the ground.
"The system might look good when it works, but it hasn’t worked yet. And I don’t think the system itself can be the most important thing. For me, the art of coaching is to get the maximum out of the players you have available. Right now, it’s clear not all of them are playing to their potential.
"They look confused, sometimes disorganised, especially at the back. That’s where the manager has to take a look and change something.
“I say this because I was at United during a rebuilding phase, when we were moving towards winning trophies and the Premier League. Certain standards were always in place.
"The main one was simple - no one is ever bigger than the club. That applied from the manager down through the players and staff. If someone tried to go their own way and it didn’t work, it couldn’t continue.
Ruben Amorim
Ruben Amorim is under pressure at Manchestester United
"That was drilled into us every single day. Sir Alex Ferguson gave us a framework that was very simple and easy to understand. It started with not conceding goals, and then it was about recruiting players who could both defend under pressure and take risks going forward.
"Guys like Gary Pallister, Steve Bruce, myself behind them, Paul Parker and Denis Irwin as attacking full-backs. It worked because it was simple, and because of the mentality and quality of the players.
“Right now, I don’t think we’re getting the quality out of the players we have. They can do more. The manager has to change his ways. I didn’t like what he said the other day – 'If you want change, you have to change the coach'.
"I like him a lot, I like his leadership qualities, and he came in during a very difficult period with unwanted players and dealt with it well. But as a Manchester United person, I don’t like that sentence. That’s putting yourself above the club and I don’t like that.”
Schmeichel continued: “You only have to look at Sunday’s game at Manchester City to see how unhappy Bruno Fernandes was. He can look frustrated at the best of times, but this was different – he was really unhappy.
"And understandably so, because Manchester United were outnumbered in midfield throughout the game. The thing about Bruno is simple - why do we have him? Because he’s a world-class player on the ball.
"He creates, he spreads play, he scores goals. But you don’t score goals from deep. I’d much prefer to see him higher up the pitch. He’s never been a number six, he hasn’t got the legs for it, and it’s unfair to ask him to do that job because it takes away from his real strengths.
“Now, I know people sometimes complain about former players being critical, and I hold my hands up – I’m one of them. But I’ve been there. I know what it takes, how much you have to invest, how much you need to be at 100% in everything you do.
"Nobody likes criticism, but this isn’t personal. When we talk about these things, it’s about suggesting what could make it better. It comes from love for the club, not for the headlines.
“Bruno is the captain, and he speaks for the players, so of course it’s uncomfortable when there’s this kind of debate – but it’s necessary. United have new people in charge – Jason Wilcox, Omar Berrada, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Christopher Vivell – all of them new, without deep Manchester United knowledge.
"That’s why voices like mine, Roy Keane’s, Gary Neville’s, Paul Scholes’s matter. We’ve been there, we understand what it takes, and when we see things going in the wrong direction, it’s important we speak up to help, and at least make the people in charge think about it."
United are next in Premier League action against Chelses at Old Trafford on Saturday evening.
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