Chronicle Editor
Some Manchester United players are said to be losing confidence in Ruben Amorim’s tactics amid his underwhelming start to life at Old Trafford.
Amorim, 40, has only been in the job since the middle of November, with United having paid €11million (£9.25m) to bring him in from Sporting Lisbon. The Red Devils have averaged a match every four days since his first game, affording him limited time on the training ground to implement a system which is unfamiliar to most of his squad.
Only five teams have won fewer points in the Premier League since the Portuguese’s arrival, leaving United 15th in the table and on course for comfortably their worst season since their infamous relegation in 1974. Amorim won’t change his approach, though, as he’s welded to his 3-4-2-1 formation, a stance which is being questioned inside the dressing room.
The Mail report that a section of United’s squad believe that even when they win, it’s largely down to individual moments of quality or good fortune rather than Amorim’s tactics working out.
According to the newspaper, a source revealed: “The feeling is, ‘We got away with one but we might not be so lucky next time’.”
The feeling from that particular group of unnamed players stems from the number of late goals that United have scored in recent weeks, turning draws into wins. The Red Devils have scored late against Leicester, Fulham, Rangers, Southampton, Manchester City and Viktoria Plzen, with their performances in most of those games being criticised.
Similar reports of behind-the-scenes discontent have emerged under previous managers, namely David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Ralf Rangnick and Erik ten Hag. Amorim’s fuse appears to be shorter than his predecessors, who all bemoaned the rigours of the job later in their tenures.
But after Sunday’s dire 1-0 defeat at Tottenham, who they’ve lost to three times this season, Amorim told Sky Sports: “What you see guys and what you discuss every week, I also see. I have a lot of problems, my job is so, so hard here. But I stick with my beliefs.”
United are back in action on Saturday, as they make the trip to Goodison Park for the final time to face Everton. – Mirror
Online Reporter