Ruben Amorim has suggested that he won’t take a page out of the playbook of Jose Mourinho for Manchester United’s Europa League final clash against Tottenham.
Jose Mourinho arrived at Old Trafford and became Manchester United manager in 2016 after the Red Devils sacked former club head coach Louis van Gaal.
The 62-year-old Portuguese manager, who is now at Fenerbahce, led the Red Devils to a sixth-place finish in the Premier League table in the 2016-17 campaign.
But Mourinho enjoyed silverware success in his debut season at Old Trafford and United lifted the League Cup and the Europa League under the ‘Special One.’
United ended the 2016-17 season by capturing the Europa League trophy in the final at the Friends Arena in Stockholm, with the Red Devils beating Ajax 2-0 in 2017.
The Red Devils’ triumph in Sweden in the 2017 Europa League final ensured that Mourinho’s United side returned to the Champions League for the 2017-18 season.
Ruben Amorim finds himself in a similar situation to Mourinho, with the Red Devils needing to win the Europa League again to secure Champions League football.
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Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images
Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images
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What Ruben Amorim noticed about Man Utd’s 2017 Europa League triumph under Jose Mourinho
Manchester United are in the Europa League final and the Red Devils will face Premier League side Tottenham at the San Mames Stadium on 21st May.
The Red Devils reached the final of the 2024-25 Europa League season after United knocked La Liga club Athletic Club out of the tournament in the semi-finals.
United defeated 10-man Athletic Club 3-0 at the San Mames Stadium in Spain in the first leg before the Red Devils secured a 4-1 victory in the return leg at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils languish in 16th place in the table and United will end the 2024-25 campaign with their worst finish since the Premier League’s inception in 1992.
The Europa League trophy is United’s only route back to European football for next season and offers Ruben Amorim the chance to lift silverware as United manager.
Amorim said that he spotted that Jose Mourinho “changed” United’s playing style “all the time because of the opponents” they faced in their 2017 Europa League triumph.
Speaking to TNT Sports, he said: “One of the things that is good about facing Tottenham is they are really good, but you can understand what they are going to do, because they have such a strong identity they will not change.
“For example, Manchester United under Jose Mourinho [in the 2017 Europa League] they changed the way they played all the time because of the opponents.
“We have an idea how they are going to press; they have an idea how we are going to build up. It’s going to be a tough match for both teams.”
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Ruben Amorim makes his position clear on Jose Mourinho’s tactics ahead of Man Utd’s Europa League final clash vs Tottenham
Amorim rolled out his tactical system at United after he left Sporting CP in 2024 and replaced former Red Devils manager Erik ten Hag in the Old Trafford dugout.
The 40-year-old former Sporting CP boss has stuck with his system amid the criticism around it and Amorim plans to use it against Tottenham in the final.
Speaking on United’s playing style for the Europa League final, Amorim explained: “I always look at the opponent to see where the space is, but we have an identity.
“In that way, for me, it’s easier for our players to understand, but of course, if they defend with four or five, we change completely and play with wing-backs, for example.
“I think I am changing all the time.”
United will travel to Stamford Bridge on Friday evening to face Chelsea in the Premier League before meeting Tottenham in Bilbao for the Europa League final.