As if Erik ten Hag wasn’t bad enough, new [Manchester United](https://manunews.com/) manager Ruben Amorim has written an entirely new dissertation on how to be a coaching failure in the Premier League.
Each passing week brings a new humbling for Man United, and although last weekend’s lucky win over Chelsea was a reprieve, the Red Devils were quickly back to being humiliated this weekend with a dreary 3-1 defeat to Brentford.
And Amorim is doing little to endear himself to anyone. The former Sporting CP manager continues to remain steadfast in his tactical approach, which has yielded nothing in terms of tangible positive results while holding back some of the team’s star players, including captain Bruno Fernandes.
Ruben Amorim is all ego, no results
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Yet Amorim is doubling down on his ego, and he is making things worse with his passing remarks in press conference, including this gem after the Manchester United loss to Brentford:
“I’m not here to protect the players. I try to do what’s best for the club and the team. I see them training, I sometimes feel they’re not the same when things get tough. That’s the pressure of this club. I just think about what’s best to win the next match. I’m not trying to protect the players or myself. I’m trying to win the next match and create momentum. I try to be clear-headed in my analysis, and today, we played the Brentford match.”
Except the thing is, as manager, Amorim is the leader of the club, and part of his responsibility is indeed to protect the players. And it’s a two-fold responsibility that Amorim is miserably failing on both counts.
Firstly, he must protect them by maximizing their ability to impact the game on the pitch with his tactics, which he has clearly not done, seeing how he’s burying Kobbie Mainoo on the bench and forcing Bruno Fernandes into a deep midfield role.
Secondly, he must protect them publicly by remembering that the HE is the leader of the team and that the buck stops with him. Throwing players on the bus is unacceptable, but it’s also not enough just to avoid hurting the players in that way; he needs to step up and be an advocate for them instead of making inane commentary like this one.
Amorim is one of the worst managers we have ever seen in the Premier League, and it’s absurd statements like this one that entrench his status as a man on the verge of the sack.
**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.