Ruben Amorim suffered his worst day as Manchester United head coach as his side tasted defeat against Grimsby Town.
A 12-11 penalty shootout defeat to Grimsby means Manchester United have been dumped out of the Carabao Cup in the second round.
Ruben Amorim ripped into his players with his post-match assessment, with many thinking the Portuguese head coach was also hinting at a possible resignation.
Throughout the tie, Ruben Amorim was visibly seething on the sidelines as he watched his side be outfought by a League Two opponent. Amorim refused to watch the shootout, with the United boss spending that time with his head down on the bench.
The defeat will naturally put a huge spotlight on Amorim’s future as head coach, with Ineos and Sir Jim Ratcliffe facing a big decision. When it comes to making that decision, they should remember their thought process back in November.
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim walks out ahead of the Carabao Cup match between Grimsby Town and Manchester United at Blundell Park in 2025 in Grimsby, England.
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Ruben Amorim deserves credit for not changing his tactics
One of the biggest criticisms of Amorim is that he has not been flexible with his tactics. Regardless of opponent or personnel, United will play 3-4-2-1 in every match.
Amorim stuck stubbornly to his tactics last season even when United were at their lowest, believing that the time spent would help them prepare for this campaign. Clearly, the results haven’t improved.
Amorim has ‘meticulously’ trained his 3-4-2-1 shape at Carrington, but it is still yet to reap the rewards many hoped it would.
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But fans would do well to think back to their complaints aimed at Amorim’s predecessors, Erik ten Hag and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Despite their multiple years on the United hot seat, fans grew frustrated at a lack of identity and style of play.
Ten Hag was criticised for having no style of play, and that was the top priority when Ineos were searching for a new head coach back in November.
Amorim was hired to implement his unique tactics at United after seeing huge success in Portugal. He never shied away from saying that he will stick to what he knows.
Changing to a back four, or giving up on his 3-4-2-1 philosophy, would mark the end of Amorim’s time at United. He was brought in to create an identity, and whether he goes down fighting or makes a success out of it in Manchester, he will not change it and rightly so.
Ruben Amorim will do what those before him wouldn’t
In times of struggle, previous United managers often threw their own tactics out the window in pursuit of a much-needed result.
Ultimately, though, none of them made it stick. Ten Hag gave up on his high-pressing style seen at Ajax, while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer couldn’t get away from playing counter-attacking football with hardly any control of possession.
Desperate changes rarely work, and Amorim knows that the changes needed at United go well beyond the shape of a formation.
Amorim has already explained he will not change. Back in March, the United boss said: “I think the system is not the problem; it is the way of playing.
“We have a lot of problems and we are trying to work on the problems. Every system needs different characteristics. I am still really confident. I will not change that.”
READ MORE: Portuguese press react to Ruben Amorim suffering worst result yet for Manchester United, and don’t hold back
It is no secret that every United manager in the past decade has suffered through embarrassing results and shock upsets. Amorim is no different, but it suggests that the issues are much deeper than the man in the managerial hot seat.
The signs of progress were there in pre-season, and three poor games at the start of the campaign should not be enough for all hope in Amorim to be thrown away.