Ruben Amorim has taken charge of Manchester United recently. The 39-year-old Portuguese is the youngest man to become the United boss since the 1960s. However, if one keeps the gloss and glamour associated with the most recognizable brand in world football aside, Amorim’s job on the pitch is not going to be easy.
The former Sporting CP manager won a couple of Portuguese Primeira Liga titles with them. They also played a very attractive brand of football under him and handed Manchester City a thumping 4-1 defeat in UEFA Champions League recently.
Football in England will be a different ball-game
One cannot the level of competitiveness of top-flight football in Portugal with that in England. It is the most competitive league in world football arguably and Amorim should have a considerably tough time getting adjusted to it.
He will have to inculcate a winning philosophy into the team and make sure that it does not look a distant second-best every time it takes the field against another big club. It has been the trend of late, much to the disappointment of the huge fan-base of the club.
While competing with the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal, it will be very important for Manchester United to raise their level. Anything below a top-four finish is not going to appease the supporters and it should be a tall order for Amorim, given the form the Red Devils have been in so far.
All is not lost for Manchester United
However, as the club’s three victories in four matches under interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy after Erik ten Hag’s sacking showed, the performance can be improved if the application and willingness is there.
As stated by many football pundits in the past, Manchester United cannot afford to depend only on their somewhat drab and passive counter-attacking style if they are to break into the top-four in the league. For Manchester United to play attractive football, they will have to be more aggressive and adventurous at times while being solid in defence at the same time.
In the near future, Amorim will also have to sell some of his older players off to generate some revenue and also create space for some future acquisitions. He will have to finalize his starting XI and also be cautious about the future recruitments, as some of the club’s signings of late have turned out to be pretty disappointing.
One positive for Amorim, however, will be the fact that the performance of his predecessor ten Hag was pretty ordinary. Not only United displayed pretty ordinary brand of football, they also were handed some ignominious defeats at regular intervals.
Hence, even a slight but consistent improvement should be appreciated by the United faithful. The Red Devils will face their first big opponent in Arsenal under Amorim on December 4 and then take on Manchester City on December 15. Those matches are not going to be easy by any means and Amorim’s aim should be to avoid defeat in either of them. The job that lies in front of him is not easy, but he should enjoy proving the doubters wrong.