Sporting manager Ruben Amorim has been officially announced as the next manager of Manchester United. This comes just days after the sacking of Erik ten Hag. The Portuguese will officially take charge on November 24th against Ipswich Town.
With this, Ruben Amorim joins the latest list of high profile managers who come in with a strong reputation. Will he also fail like his predecessors?
The first problem that Amorim has to figure out immediately is how to implement his preferred 3-4-2-1 setup with a squad that is not suited to play three at the back.
And where do the plethora of attacking options fit into? Does Bruno play in the double pivot or does he play higher up the pitch?
The club has to get its signings right in the January window or risk a complete write off for the season. And then there is the Manchester United premium that clubs will charge for players.
With their brain dead decision to sack ten Hag two months into the season, the club cannot afford to NOT sign players for their new manager.
And if they don’t sign new players, how well can Amorim adapt? This is one aspect where the 39 year old has yet to be tested – his adaptability.
In the past 10 years, managers like Mourinho and Ole have had to adapt after failing to get the transfers they wanted or being foisted on with players differing from their preferred profiles. They couldn’t adapt beyond a point and got sacked.
Then you had managers who were stubborn about their systems like Van Gaal and ten Hag. They stuck to their systems even when the players were ill suited. The result – a lack of clear identity and both managers were sacked.
The onus on success lies with the new management under INEOS. They have to ensure the manager gets his preferred profiles, even if they have to scout from the championship. Use of data is a must.
INEOS got their first major decision in charge of the club wrong when they gave ten Hag a contract extension and then sacked him less than three months into the season. This has cost them over 25 million euros at a time when the club needs to cut costs.
But even that can be excused as Berrada and Ashworth were yet to settle into their roles. Now that the entire backroom structure is ready, a full overhaul of the club is required. Every department from scouting, medical, analytics, coaching, facilities, stadium, and even marketing needs a massive refit.
Unless the club is willing to do these things and more, Ruben Amorim will very well end up being the newest scapegoat to grace Old Trafford.
