Ruben Amorim says his main issue at Manchester United is players believing the media narrative that his system is a problem.
United’s head coach gets “crazy” at the thought that those in his team might be influenced by outside noise on tactics, given he sees training, understands his players, and watches more of the club’s games than all the pundits combined.
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Amorim has taken 34 points from his 33 Premier League games in charge — holding the lowest win percentage of any United manager — and heads into the visit of Sunderland with United in 14th place in the table.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants to give Amorim a full campaign, and United’s executive remain supportive, but scrutiny is rising, with his preferred 3-4-2-1 formation a particular focus.
“I’m not concerned about that and nobody here is naive,” Amorim said when asked about his job prospects. “We understand that we need results to continue the project. We will reach a point that is impossible for everyone because this is a very big club with a lot of sponsors, with two owners. The balance is really hard.
“What I want is to see my team winning or losing playing the same way, and we are not doing that. In the simple things of playing football that anyone can do.
“So my biggest problem is for my players believe in you guys when you say the problem of our team is the system. I get crazy about that because I can see the team, I can point you the way we play in different systems, we need to play the same way, with the same power, with the same intensity, with the same focus. If you do that, it doesn’t matter the system.”
Amorim added: “It’s really important because there is no one in the world that can read everything and listen to everything, from people that understand football, and not be influenced by that. I know I see the game more times than all those guys together, because they have to see all the games in the Premier League and give an opinion.
“My opinion is completely different because I see the games, I see the trainings, I understand my players, I understand what I’m doing and I follow my job this way because it’s impossible to survive in this club, listening to all the things.”
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Amorim said none of his players had suggested a change. “Guys, I’m the manager of a big club. And is the media that is going to dictate what I’m going to do? It cannot be. It’s not possible to sustain that.
“And then the players, I talk with the players every day, but I explain point by point what is happening with our team. It’s not the 3-4-3 all the time. We need to look to all of the parts of the game. This team play in the different system for many years, and you were talking about the lack of identity, no idea, whatever.
“So it’s not the system. It’s the small details, the way we play the game. And I understand what people think, what would be this team in a different system? I don’t know. Maybe this team would win more games. But if we don’t change certain things, we are not going to win titles if we change for 4-3-3 or 4-4-2, and that is my point with the players. Not with you, I don’t want to change your mind, but my players, I guarantee you, they are listening to you, all that opinions, and they are putting that inside because we are not winning games. And they have to believe in me because I watch more games of Manchester than you guys combined.”
Amorim heads into the visit of Sunderland with United in 14th place in the table (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
Amorim brought up reports his wife Maria has questioned whether the criticism is worth it. “My wife is talking with the media? That is such a nonsense. Nobody in my family talks about that. We love to live in England. You have no idea what is abuse here because you are so polite compared to my country when we are losing. My family is really happy. I’m just struggling because I hate losing and I hate failing.”
Amorim expanded on his statement on not fearing the sack after losing 3-1 to Brentford. “It’s a dream to be here,” he said. “I want to continue here and I want to fight for this. You fear to lose your job when you have to pay the bills. I don’t have that feeling. But when we don’t win games, that is the suffering that I have. It’s not the fear of losing the job. I’m telling you, when we finish the game and you can see me, I don’t care about my job. That hurt of not winning games or failing, that is the thing that hurts me the most.”
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Amorim welcomed the idea of more games after The Athletic revealed this week that United are exploring midweek friendlies, including a possible trip to Saudi Arabia.
“We have to do it,” he said. “We knew that when we miss Europe. We have our fans, we have the budget, we have to compensate a lot of things. We will do it. We want to be with our friends around the world. So we are putting all together to do that.”
Pressed on how that fits with his stated satisfaction at having more time at Carrington this campaign to work with his team, Amorim said: “But we have to do it, that’s all. We have to manage to find the space to do it.”
(Top photo: Carl Recine / Getty Images)
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