The mood has lifted around Manchester United after their win against Chelsea, and Ruben Amorim thought it was the best time to send a message to his players by breaking his own rule.
The 2-1 win against Chelsea is the first one against marquee opposition, and Ruben Amorim will be most delighted by the fact that his players heeded his demand.
Man Utd were in Chelsea’s faces from the off, pinning them back by virtue of sheer aggression and desire.
With two winnable games coming up against Brentford and Sunderland, Amorim has now chosen to break his own rule to send a message to his players.
Ruben Amorim breaks his Man Utd rule
Amorim is fiercely protective of his players in the press, but it’s quite clear that he won’t think twice about discarding a player the moment they fall in his estimation.
He values effort and determination over everything else, with his belief being that positive results will be a byproduct of doing these basics right.
Now that the Man Utd squad did those basics right against Chelsea, Laurie Whitwell said on The Talk of the Devils podcast that Amorim has chosen to reward his players by breaking his own rule.
Generally, the day after the game is when Amorim calls in his players and divides them into two groups.
Those who played the game do light recovery sessions, while those who didn’t play have an intense regimen to get them up to speed.
However, this time, Amorim, clearly pleased with the effort levels of the squad, gave them a complete day off on Sunday, which was the day after the game.
Whitwell said: “Ruben Amorim was pretty pleased with the result because he gave the players Sunday off. Usually, they come into Carrington the day after. For the players who have played, it’s a bit of a lighter session and a warm-down.
“For the players that haven’t played, it is quite intense usually, to keep them up to speed with the players that have played. So, as a reward, a day off. That’s a kind of a little nugget.” [Relevant part near 26.40 mark]
Ruben Amorim sends clear message to his players
This will come as good news for Man Utd fans because it means that Ruben Amorim is perfecting his man-management approach.
At 40, Amorim is a young coach who will develop with time, like any player does, and that’s a fact that is often forgotten about managers.
Being a hard taskmaster at Old Trafford was necessary to reset the culture of the club, but it is equally as important to reward good performances as a type of positive reinforcement.
Now, the players know what awaits them if they put in a good performance, and it creates a virtuous cycle of confidence leading to good performances, and so on.
No fan will mind the players having extra days off if they keep doing the business on the weekend!
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