Most recently three wins in a row
©IMAGO
Exactly a year ago to the day, Rúben Amorim was introduced as the new coach at Manchester United. The Portuguese came to the English record champions after an extremely successful time at Sporting Lisbon and was supposed to lead the Red Devils back up after the disappointing start to the season under Erik ten Hag. Instead, however, things continued to fall, and a positive trend has only become apparent in the last few weeks. The 40-year-old looks back on a turbulent twelve months.
“Losing so many games was extremely hard for me,” he said before the game against Nottingham Forest (4 p.m.). There were 21 defeats in 52 matches, 22 of which Amorim and his team won. A slightly positive balance, which is not enough for the club’s high standards, especially since the only chance for the title was missed with the defeat in the Europa League final against Tottenham Hotspur. “That is Manchester United. Focusing all the attention on the Europa League and then not winning was huge. So I had some moments where I was really struggling and I thought, ‘Maybe it’s just not meant to be.’ Today everything is different… Today I am convinced that moving here was the best decision of my life and I really want to be here.”
This season the performances are mostly good, even if they failed in the second round of the EFL Cup against fourth division Grimsby Town (13:14 a.e.). Most recently there were three wins in a row and five wins from the last seven league games. In the Premier League, United are in sixth place with 16 points, only two points short of second place. After spending 250 million euros on Benjamin Šeško, Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha & Co., achieving international business is a must.
“When it comes to signing players, it’s easier if you have a clear idea of how you want to play and can say: ‘This is the player I want,’” Amorim explains his tactics in the transfer market and uses the new additions as a reason why he doesn’t want to move away from his 3-4-3 system, which has since come under criticism. “If you play with a 4-3-3 system today and a 4-4-2 system tomorrow, it’s harder to find the right characteristics for the players. That’s why I try to use all this knowledge to find the right players.”
There could therefore be further changes to the squad in January. “A lot can happen. We have the World Cup in the summer, some players who are not playing will ask for their release, so I have to manage everything,” he said. “And then we want to bring in players in whom we see a great future at Manchester United.”