- Manchester United sacked head coach Ruben Amorim on Monday, January 5
- Amorim blasted the United board for not backing him after a 1-1 draw at Leeds.
- That was the last straw in a number of issues United had with their Portuguese head coach.
Manchester United fired head coach Ruben Amorim on Monday, January 5, after he called out the board following a poor display at Leeds.
That was the straw that broke the camel’s back, but there were more problems leading to Amorim’s demise.
An Inflexible 3-4-3 Formation
Amorim was fired on Monday. He came from Sporting Lisbon in November 2024, armed with a 3-4-3 formation that he was married to. However, United didn’t have the players needed to play that formation. They did spend money on forwards Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha, and Benjamin Sesko. But they don’t have the midfielders or fullbacks to play the way Amorim wants to.
Due to injuries and players gone to the Africa Cup of Nations, Amorim actually switched to a 4-3-3 in a win over Newcastle and in the draw at lowly Wolves. He went back to the 3-4-3 against Leeds, and United looked terrible. The inability to adapt definitely had a say in Amorim’s demise.
A Poor Win Ratio
Simply put, Amorim didn’t win enough, and also, he lost too much.
Amorim won just 32% of his Premier League games and 38% of his games overall. That’s as bad as any United manager in the modern era. He wasn’t winning games United should win, for example, against last-place Wolves, 16th-place Leeds, 18th-place Nottingham Forest, and many more. You can be stubborn, but you have to win. That’s why the next Manchester United manager odds are a hot market right now!
Tinkering With the Defense
Amorim managed 46 Premier League games. He used 25 different central-defensive pairings over that time.
Some of that is due to injuries and other factors. But even when players were healthy, Amorim would tinker with players who need to get a consistent rhythm.
What’s more, Amorim’s United allowed 1.5 goals a game and struggled to keep clean sheets. Just this season, United have allowed 30 goals, which is 14th in the league, and they’ve kept two clean sheets. You have to assume that the constant rotation doesn’t help matters.
He Called Out His Bosses
This has nothing to do with numbers. Amorim said after the 1-1 draw at Leeds:
"I know that my name is not [Thomas] Tuchel, it's not [Antonio] Conte, it's not [Jose] Mourinho, but I'm the manager of Manchester United. And it's going to be like this for 18 months or when the board decides to change.
I will do my job, and every department, the scouting department, the sporting director, needs to do their job.
I will do mine for 18 months, and then we will watch.”
After that outburst, it was untenable that Amorim would last the 18 months left on his contract. Team owners don’t like being blasted in public by anyone, much less their coach and players. Chelsea just went through the same thing with Enzo Maresca, who left on New Year’s Day after public remarks about the board.
What’s Next for Manchester United and Ruben Amorim?
United have made Darren Fletcher, former player and coach of the U-18 team, the interim manager until they hire a new coach in the summer. The hunt for the 11th manager since Sir Alex Ferguson will continue. Meanwhile, Amorim will be paid out his full contract, so he’s probably off on vacation.
But ultimately, a brutal combination of statistics and poor people skills was Amorim’s downfall.
You must be logged in to comment. Don't have an account? Sign up today.