Ruben Amorim, speaking ahead of Sporting CP’s 4-1 hammering of Manchester United’s city rivals, highlighted the two key attributes his team simply must possess.
Two non-negotiables which are likely to form the backbone of any success the Portuguese may have in an Old Trafford dugout which has proven too harsh a habitat for far more experienced head coaches in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson years.
The dark, drawn-out final days of the Erik ten Hag era were characterised by a Manchester United team who would collapse in on themselves at any sign of trouble.
As Andre Onana helped salvage Manchester United’s 3-3 with Porto in the Europa League a few weeks back, that was the seventh time Ten Hag’s Red Devils had thrown away a two or even three goal lead since the start of 2023/24.
A United side who would frequently leave themselves vulnerable to quick transitions with unforced errors in the middle of the park. See those two Casemiro blunders which gifted Liverpool a 3-0 win at Old Trafford at the start of September.
Now, Ruben Amorim will be hoping to rid United of those bad habits as soon as possible.
Ruben Amorim tells Manchester United his two non-negotiables
Speaking ahead of what would prove to be a fitting farewell to his beloved Sporting – Viktor Gyokeres’ hat-trick left Pep Guardiola and Manchester City stunned in the Portuguese capital – Amorim highlighted the two things he demands first and foremost from the players at his disposal.
“I want a team who can control the ball, [and] play without fear,” Amorim said in the build-up to that Man City hammering.
That Champions League obliteration of the 2023 European champions was Amorim-ball at it’s most brutally effective.
Guardiola had been full of praise for the job Amorim has done at Sporting. And the manner in which the 39-year-old tactician out-thought and out-manoeuvred probably the greatest footballing mind of the modern age made for very exciting viewing for a Man United fanbase desperate for a return to happier times.
Ruben Amorim readying himself for Premier League ‘challenge’
Whether Amorim can instil the same drive, discipline and verve into his new Red Devils’ charges, only time will tell.
But with Rasmus Hojlund sharing many of the same base attributes as the prolific Gyokeres, with Man United’s squad well-suited to Amorim’s three-at-the-back system in the view of Gary Neville, and with Joshua Zirkzee, Mason Mount, Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford and Amad Diallo likely to benefit from his duel-ten set-up, the United supporters may now be looking towards December’s first Manchester derby of the season with renewed optimism.
“We were very lucky in the game,” Amorim smiled after Sporting reacted to Phil Foden’s early opener in Lisbon with four unanswered goals in a thrilling display of ruthlessness and break-neck counter-attacking.
“That feeling with my players, the way they celebrate this win, the moment with the fans, was very, very special.
“I will take this to the Premier League. When I arrive there it’s a different world, a different pressure, I will try to be the same. It will be fun, very fun. And I’m ready for the challenge.”
Ruud van Nistelrooy will take charge of Man United’s upcoming clashes with PAOK and Leicester City, with Amorim officially beginning life in the Old Trafford hotseat on November 11th.
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