Can a statement win, especially the first one for a new manager, be a mistake that doomed him long-term with the benefit of hindsight?
That is the question that has arisen after watching Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United huff and puff their way to a 1-1 draw at Ipswich Town on his debut.
Amorim installed his signature three-at-the-back system straight away and while there were glimpses of what Man Utd were trying to do under him, the final result and performance left a lot to be desired.
Understandably so, since he barely had two training sessions with the squad that was, in large parts, returning from another hectic international break.
What he can’t do now is go the way of his predecessor, Erik ten Hag…
Erik ten Hag’s sacrifice that doomed him
It’s August 7, 2022, and a new era is set to begin at Old Trafford with Erik ten Hag, arguably Europe’s most exciting manager, about to oversee his first United game.
Brighton and Hove Albion are the opponents and the stadium is rocking, thinking they finally have a progressive manager who thrilled everyone at Ajax.
The dream quickly turned into a nightmare with two first-half goals by Pascal Gross and even though United would get one back in the second half, the tenure began with a home loss.
Turns out, that was just the appetiser, as United would travel to Brentford next and go down 4-0 in just the first half to wrap up one of the most disastrous starts for a new Man Utd manager.
With Liverpool at home in the third game, nobody gave United a chance. However, what transpired was the first statement win of Ten Hag’s era as his team won 2-1 and kickstarted a run that culminated in third place and a Carabao Cup victory.
What changed in those few days? Everything.
After seeing United get caught out repeatedly in the buildup for the first two games as Ten Hag tried to implement his style of play, he changed it up.
David de Gea played it long almost exclusively against Liverpool and the forwards created havoc on transitions with their pace and guile.
Gone was the “Ten Hag style” after two losses and his sacrifice had given him and his team the win that started it all. With the benefit of hindsight, it also started his fall.
Ruben Amorim can’t repeat Ten Hag’s mistake
“We have two ways. We try to just win games and not risk anything and at this stage next season we will have same problems. We have to address the new ideas now and try and be better for the next stage.”
That was Ruben Amorim after the Ipswich draw and that, in one sentence, sums up the dilemma for Man Utd managers.
Ten Hag abandoned his principles and system after two losses increased the noise around the club to fever pitch and while that benefitted the team in the short term, the identity was lost.
United never regained it and his tenure ended with a mismatch of players and what he was trying to do because what he actually wanted to do was abandoned after two games.
Amorim has made the right noises to convince fans that that won’t happen again and that’s ideal because this Man Utd squad is in dire need of a direction.
If suffering comes along the way, it needs to be accepted as a consequence of success in the long term. Fans have already seen what happens when it’s the other way around.
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