Ruben Amorim will be judged on whether he wins the Europa League with Manchester United this season.
Since taking over as Manchester United head coach, Ruben Amorim has failed to improve the position in the Premier League table.
Getting results domestically has proven difficult for the Portuguese head coach, but Amorim has been flawless in Europe.
It has given United a golden ticket to Champions League qualification – but only if they go on to win the Europa League.
After the dramatic 5-4 victory over Lyon in the quarter-finals, a two-legged showdown against Athletic Club awaits in the semi-final.
Ruben Amorim used Premier League manager to prepare for Athletic Club
With nothing left to play for in the league, Amorim said academy players will play more in the final games of the season.
However, in United’s 1-1 draw with Bournemouth on the weekend, Amorim fielded a strong lineup at the Vitality Stadium.
According to the Daily Mail, one of the reasons Amorim picked such a strong lineup against Bournemouth was because the Cherries play a very similar system to Athletic Club.
Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola hails from the Basque region and spent 12 years of his playing career with Athletic Club, playing over 500 games for the Spanish outfit.
Iraola uses the same 4-2-3-1 system as Ernesto Valverde at Athletic Club, so Amorim saw it as a good opportunity to prepare his players for what to expect on Thursday evening.
Both Amorim and Bruno Fernandes drew similarities between Bournemouth and Athletic Club, citing their tactical setup and direct wingers.
Christian Eriksen has warned United about Bilbao’s wingers ahead of the clash, but it seems Amorim has done plenty of homework before the biggest game of the season.
Ruben Amorim set up perfectly vs Andoni Iraola
Amorim’s first meeting against Iraola’s Bournemouth ended in disaster when the Cherries won 3-0 at Old Trafford in December.
However, stats showed Amorim’s side dominated Bournemouth in that clash but he was let down by his players’ poor finishing.
Frustratingly, that was also the case this weekend with United dominating possession and taking 25 shots to Bournemouth’s eight. However, United had to rely on a last-gasp Rasmus Hojlund equaliser to salvage a point.
Clearly, Amorim’s setup against Iraola’s (and Athletic Club’s) system is strong, but he can only do so much from the sidelines.
On Thursday, Amorim will stick to his 3-4-2-1 system and look to nullify Athletic Club’s dangerous front line, but at the other end he will need the likes of Hojlund and Fernandes to step up.
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