We don’t even need to probe anymore to get Ruben Amorim on the defensive over his beloved 3-4-3 formation at Manchester United.
One would assume that, with Amorim possessing the sixth-worst record of any Premier League manager after 33 games in charge, the Portuguese head coach would at least be considering some tweaks.
Stifling Bruno Fernandes in a midfield two is not working. The back three is being breezed through with the resistance of wet tissue paper at times.
Not being able to fit Kobbie Mainoo, one of the most exciting youngsters to have come through the United ranks in recent years, into the side attracts the fiercest opposition.
His job is on the line. But Amorim, even on the precipice, is not for turning. He will go down with his ship as it is, if need be.
Kobbie Mainoo has struggled for regular minutes so far this season (Photo: Getty)
“You can’t run away from the results,” Amorim insisted when asked about criticism from former United players. “Then you have the baggage from last season, last season for me doesn’t matter.
“In relation to the system, we already spoke about that. We have had six games this season, and we lost three. We have to look at the games that we lost.
“If we lost to Arsenal because of the system, it is your job to make the opinion. When you look at the game against [Manchester] City, is the first thing you think when the game starts the system? I think you don’t think about the system in that moment.
“At Brentford, the way we concede goals, the way we create chances, there is nothing to do with the system. That is my opinion. I am not saying this team would play better in a different system or not, that is not my point.
“My point is, if I look at the games we didn’t win, the most important thing when I watch the game is not [that] we lost because of the system. That is my opinion and people have different opinions. That is okay.”
Amorim is a charismatic speaker, one of the reasons many highlight as to why he is still in a job, so you want to believe what he says.
There is credence to what he is saying, in that United have had more shots than any other team this season and possess the best xG.
The fact they are not converting chances cannot be put down to a formation not working is one way of looking at it.
Except, those who have covered United for much of the previous decade, recognise the early signs of a dead man walking when they see them.
Amorim has time to save his job, with victory over Sunderland on Saturday an absolute must, with an international break to follow – a prime opportunity for the co-owners to make a change in the managerial hot seat.
As The i Paper reported this week, some fear Amorim could jump before he is pushed.
While the under-fire head coach is not thinking about such drastic measures just yet, he remains determined to bring about change, something most supporters fear to be more dogmatic than anything else.
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How he goes about trying to turn this sinking ship around is clear. Talking his way out of this one just won’t cut it.
“I can look at the games this season,” Amorim added. “For me they are completely different. There are other things we cannot change.
“In the other games we are not the same team in some details. I have nothing to say in this moment. My job is to prepare the team. We have to find that balance. It is not time to say, it is time to show.”