Ruben Amorim has arrived at Manchester United and with him, a sea of changes is expected to take place over the next two weeks in major positions.
A large-scale staff overhaul is already in the works as Ruud van Nistelrooy’s departure has been announced. Three more Man Utd staff members leave with him and in comes his team of five, potentially six.
Carlos Fernandes, Amorim’s long-time assistant, stands at the head of that queue along with others but ultimately, the buck stops with the manager.
That’s even more fierce when you’re the Man Utd manager, especially when you’re about to do what another manager tried, and failed to do at Old Trafford.
Not only did he fail, he was absolutely hammered in the press for even trying to do it, while Amorim has already made it clear that he will.
Here’s the tale of Ruben Amorim trying to, in a way, find justice for Louis van Gaal!
Louis van Gaal’s ill-fated experiment of 2014/15
The 2014/15 season is about to begin and the excitement is at fever pitch after Van Gaal steered a less-fancied Netherlands side to a remarkable third place.
The “Flying Dutchman” header from Robin van Persie vs Spain lived in the memory of Man Utd fans and the arrival of Van Gaal at United was regarded as a massive upgrade on David Moyes.
There were positive signs in the pre-season but it all started to unravel a bit as soon as the season began.
There was an opening day loss to Swansea City at home which set the tone. It was followed by a draw at Sunderland, and the infamous 0-4 drubbing by MK Dons in the League Cup.
What was common in all those games? Van Gaal had taken his system from the Netherlands and tried the same at Old Trafford. The results were disastrous.
The system in question? Three at the back, five midfielders, and two forwards. It was the first time United were playing with three defenders at the back and Van Gaal would quickly abandon that experiment after getting beat a few more times.
At the time, so miserably did he fail in doing that that every media outlet was out for blood. Renowned tactics writer Jonathan Wilson asked why he was “hell-bent” on making it work.
Gary Neville tore into this system as “lacking tempo” and “risk-taking”, saying he’s not a fan at all. Ultimately, a switch to 4-3-3 with Carrick and Fellaini in the midfield sparked a winning run as United managed to finish fourth, overcoming a disastrous start to the season when they played three at the back.
Now we come to the present day, and a 39-year-old from Portugal is insistent on doing it again at United.
The challenge for Ruben Amorim
Firstly, it is important to note that the United of then couldn’t be more different from the one Amorim is arriving at now.
Ed Woodward was effectively using the biggest club in the world at the time as a learning experience for how to run a football club as a director.
Not only is the structure above the manager in a much better place, but Amorim has already addressed a major concern, a mistake that Van Gaal made.
Amorim has already said that one reality can’t be transported to another, meaning that United won’t play the same way as Sporting do.
Van Gaal brought the same formation and player roles which gave him success at the World Cup and fit the United players in it from day one which is a recipe for disaster.
Amorim will be better suited to face the challenge than Van Gaal ever was, partly due to a lack of support from above and partly due to his own stubbornness.
His biggest challenge will be to prove that the three-at-the-back system is not a problem, it never was. It just wasn’t implemented correctly at the right time, by the right man, under the right circumstances.
All three need to hit bullseye this time to exorcise the demons of that 2014/15 start which has soured the fans on the setup.
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