Last night, Sporting CP beat Manchester City in the Champions League by 4-1. However, the ramifications were felt in the red half of Manchester.
This was the penultimate game for Ruben Amorim in charge of Sporting before he takes charge of Manchester United on November 11th. This was also viewed as a trial by fire for the 39 year old Portuguese, as he faced the best team in England.
It is safe to say Amorim is the real deal.
Despite conceding within the first three minutes, Sporting went on to thrash City thanks to a hattrick by striker Viktor Gyokeres. Amorim got his tactics spot on.
Well, we can all officially declare Ruben Amorim as the next Sir Alex Ferguson. He is HIM!
If you are thinking like this, you are more deluded than flat earthers.
For starters the man himself seems to be pretty aware. In the interview before the match, Amorim was asked about his views. He provided a tongue-in-cheek response.
“If the result is negative, the expectations will drop. But if we win, they will think the new Sir Alex Ferguson has arrived.”
This kind of self awareness is what is required given the boastful statements given by his predecessors. Guess eras do come to an end.
He later clarified on that saying,” That was a joke. I’m certainly not going to read anything for six months. I did the same at Sporting. I’m not going to read anything or have access to anything. It’s the only way to do my job and things well.”
This is the best attitude to adopt if you want to stand any chance at success coaching Man Utd. The coach will be under constant scrutiny from fans, media, and the board.
Then there is the whole lot of legends who hold significant amount of influence for their opinions among fans. They will be comparing the man with Sir Alex after every win and will label him a disaster after every loss.
The good thing that the club has done is change the designation. Ruben Amorim is not manager, but head coach.
This means his responsibilities lie solely with the affairs of the senior men’s team, which anyways is 50% of what the club is. This also means the club will start the process of appointing the right people to handle scouting, transfers, business, media and communications.
I expect this process to take till the end of the season to fully stabilize. Till then, the head coach has to get results back on track. While a league title and even a top 4 finish looks unlikely, the team can still push for other trophies on display.
The real work will begin in April 2025, when the club does a season audit and start with the process of transfer. They have no choice but to get it right. Clear out the deadwood and bring in players suiting the profile of the coaching staff.
For now, we can just enjoy the aura of Ruben Amorim until he joins the club on 11th November. Till then, the Portuguese is HIM!
