A Familiar Discussion on Manchester United
We've been here before. But yet, Ruben Amorim is capable of writing a different end to his chapter in charge.
When Marcus Rashford scored in the second minute against Ipswich Town in Ruben Amorim’s first game in charge of Manchester United, I fell into the familiar trap.
It’s actually fitting that it was Rashford, a player that many point to as the embodiment of this United era:
Better than anyone on their day. But often a disappointment. Consistently inconsistent. Gravely frustrating.
A description that fits the Erik ten Hag reign to a T.
Ten Hag’s Reds beat the best team in the world in the FA Cup final. They also lost 14 league games in a single season and got turned over time and again. They had spells of dominance - notably the opening months of 2023 - and periods of sustained rubbish. His best players in his first campaign, Casemiro and the aforementioned Rashford, eventually turned into his greatest liabilities. We know the story.
His time is now over. Enter Amorim. A cool, vibrant, attractive young Portuguese coach with a fantastic record at Sporting Lisbon.
Watching Sunday’s action at Portman Road, you could almost see the newest boss come to terms with the size of the job he just signed up for. From the second Rashford netted, the irritation just grew from minute 3 to minute 90. Ipswich’s strong response to United’s opening goal was rewarded by a fantastic finish just before halftime. A deadlocked second half saw the points shared. Bar a few decent moments, United didn’t threaten. Andre Onana was the best player on the pitch.
And so, at full time, I was punching myself for falling into the trap. What’s this trap, you ask?
The trap is being deceived by these Manchester United players who have now sacked another manager. They give you moments of elation, and yet they rarely leave you satisfied. They turn up sometimes, and other days they just don’t fancy it. It only took one match to be reminded about the squad we’re dealing with. Mourinho, Solsjkær, Ten Hag. By now the personnel has seen an overhaul; it’s a culture problem. It’s now Amorim’s job to put it right.
And what his first game taught us is that it’s going to take time. Amorim is INEOS’ man, so they’ll likely give him plenty of it.
I’m not at all grading the manager today. I won’t do that anytime soon. This is purely an analysis of the players he’s dealing with; they’re not up to it. If they were, Amorim wouldn’t be here. United wouldn't be in the bottom half of the table. This team simply must improve. The sky is blue.
While it remains to be seen whether the Portuguese now commanding the dugout is capable of implementing the change, his first impressions were strong.
He took robust command of each interview and press conference he had to take in the lead-up to his first game. It’s worth noting that his English is impressive. His predecessor’s message was sometimes unfortunately lost in translation, nor did his delivery or tone ever do much to aid his relationship with the press. Not that this was Ten Hag’s fault, of course, but worth noting that Amorim’s communication won’t suffer from the same problem.
He carries an aura that fills United fans with confidence. You want to listen to him, to give him respect. The early signs suggest some charisma, intelligence, and even humour that will help him as he settles into his gigantic new role. Managing United is a tough ask at the best of times. The club is nowhere near living in those at the moment.
My immediate response to Amorim’s dugout debut, though, again, had very little to do with him. I was just surprised by the lack of urgency and energy from the players. Perhaps Ruud van Nistelrooy was so loved that the players were going through a heartbreak. Perhaps Ten Hag wasn’t the big bad wolf he was sometimes painted to be. I say these things with hyperbole, but even if they were precisely accurate, surely it doesn’t excuse such a lacklustre first performance for the new manager. Let me know if I’m way off - I write on here in order to hear back from you. I’m a Manchester United fan in my usual state of confusion and annoyance. Outside perspectives are strongly welcomed.
This piece is a little all over the place. I’m writing it and getting it out in the hours after the Ipswich draw so I can come back later and see what my emotion-ridden first impressions were. I’ve previously called to remove emotion and pragmatically analyse the club’s state of affairs, here I’m purposely ignoring my own advice. Seeing another change on the sidelines do nothing for the performance of the team is truly disappointing, even if United now start flying and win five in a row. We know they can do that because they’ve done it before.
Might I suggest that Rashford is well aware by now that he’ll outlast the manager regardless of performance? He had the best stretch of his career under Ten Hag, but he also would go months without a good game. He looked uninterested and lazy at times. He’s one among a concerning number of players that may carry a similar mindset.
What’s the motivation for these players to master the 3-4-3 formation? What’s the reason to run harder and work more for the new boss? He’ll be gone well before them anyway.
That’s where INEOS comes in. They can flip the script and destroy this culture. They are a huge reason why belief in Amorim is so high. They were also a huge reason my belief in Ten Hag was so high because I thought they’d ride out the storm with him for as long as it took. I hope they do so this time now that it’s their pick in the dugout.
Their reputation amongst the fans - amplified by the presence of the Glazers - lies heavily on Ruben Amorim’s shoulders. It’s in their best interest to rid the club of the player power culture and give the head coach every chance to succeed. It doesn't mean an Amorim dictatorship; it does mean a clear message needs to be sent that the manager is more powerful than the players. That’s how the players fall into line and buy into the system. That’s how Amorim weeds out the weak links and builds the squad necessary to compete for the league. That’s how the repeated cycle at Manchester United will come to an end.
There’s nothing new being presented here. The playing squad has long been diagnosed as the root issue at Manchester United. And yet, another manager was just sacked. Ruben Amorim has now begun his turn at trying to finally get it right.