Ruben Amorim has plunged back into scrutiny and doubt after the latest loss, and Matthijs de Ligt has now agreed with Matheus Cunha’s claim about his role in the club’s current state.
Man Utd sit in the bottom half of the table after six games, and the 3-1 loss to Brentford was probably the first league game with no mitigating factors.
The opposition wasn’t marquee, Man Utd didn’t dominate the game, they didn’t miss a lot of chances, which could promise an optimistic future, and Ruben Amorim’s tactical calls doomed the team.
As such, questions were rightly raised over Amorim’s suitability for the job, and after Matheus Cunha’s initial claim, Matthijs de Ligt has agreed with his teammate.
Matthijs de Ligt on Ruben Amorim’s troubles
Amorim worked hard for a cultural reset where the players no longer threw the manager under the bus in an act of unprofessionalism.
That was visible when Harry Maguire leapt to his defence recently, something which Amorim greatly appreciated.
The same happened after the Brentford game when Matheus Cunha took some responsibility for the club’s troubles.
De Ligt has now agreed with Cunha, echoing his message about the players not doing their basics right, while acknowledging questions over Amorim’s system.
He said (via Manchester Evening News): “I mean, it’s always easy to look to the manager, but in the end, the players on the pitch have to do it.
“We can’t say the goals we conceded, or the chances we conceded, are because of what… I don’t know, you guys always talk about the system.
“That also has a lot to do with focus, concentration, and if that’s lacking in key moments, it’s going to make a difference. Against a Brentford team who plays like this, they will kill you.”
Players and the system are mutually exclusive
It’s heartening to see the Man Utd squad back the manager and act as professionals, but it doesn’t mean their defence of the system should be taken at face value.
The cause for United’s troubles is more nuanced than that, and not just down to one thing.
Yes, the players are missing the mark in key moments, and the ability to build on momentum or respond to setbacks is clearly missing.
At the same time, the system is not helping, as, simply put, it’s asking defenders like Diogo Dalot and Patrick Dorgu to attack, and asking attackers like Bruno Fernandes to defend.
Harry Maguire is playing in a high line, Kobbie Mainoo is sitting on the bench, and the academy has gone missing just to fit players into an inflexible system.
Both are problems, and they are mutually exclusive. It’s just that the system is hiding their strengths and magnifying their weaknesses.
That’s precisely the opposite of what a manager’s job should be.
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