Ruben Amorim will be delighted, for once, that he has positives to count instead of putting out fires, and Alan Shearer gave him another one after the Chelsea game.
The 2-1 win against Chelsea was the first one this season against a marquee opposition, and a game in which Man Utd were genuinely good value for their result.
They pinned back Chelsea with a breathless display in the first half, and formed a hard rearguard in the second to see out a win in a professional fashion despite Casemiro’s sending off.
Alan Shearer said Ruben Amorim would be most pleased with what his players did in the second half because it ensures he won’t fall on the same sword that most of his predecessors did.
Alan Shearer decodes Man Utd’s second half vs Chelsea
Once United’s numerical advantage was wiped away by Casemiro’s red card, it was always going to be Chelsea’s attack vs United’s defence in the second half.
Still, United started the half well, and despite not dominating possession, never looked like they were hanging on by a thread.
They finally listened to Amorim’s demand for aggression, and the results were clear to see, especially in their rearguard action of the second half.
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Putting that level of effort into a game is not what you associate with a team that has given up on their manager, and Alan Shearer, speaking on the Rest is Football podcast, said Amorim received his answer.
He said: “Manager Amorim is under huge pressure, and I thought his players did really well for him in the second half. I thought they dug deep. They rolled their sleeves up. If he wanted to know whether they’re still with him or not, I think that gave him the answer.
“That’ll give him a bit of relief. A great three points for them, and they had to work very hard for it. That performance will tell him that his players are still with him.” [Relevant part begins near 16.50 mark]
Ruben Amorim will fly or fail by his own actions
Managers before Amorim at Old Trafford all fell short of expectations, largely due to their own shortcomings, but they had one theme in common.
Most Man Utd fans accept that the players gave up on the manager and downed tools near the end, accelerating the inevitable sacking.
It is to Amorim’s credit that he has achieved a cultural reset where the players do look fully behind him, regardless of the results or questions over his system.
He is reaping the benefits of that now, because the players are grinding out results that only true professionals can.
On the other hand, it takes away a mitigating factor if he potentially fails to deliver wins, because the players playing to their limit means the focus is on him.
Ultimately, he will be judged by his own actions and will fly or fail due to those actions, not because a third party stopped trying.
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