Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has made the somewhat worrying claim that his current squad of players are “anxious” and even “afraid” on the pitch at the moment.
The Portuguese tactician only recently took over as Man Utd manager after the team’s poor form earlier in the season saw Erik ten Hag sacked by the Red Devils.
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Amorim looked hugely promising after doing a superb job as Sporting Lisbon manager, but the United job is proving very difficult so far, and he’s suggested it’s because of an anxious group of players.
See below for Amorim’s worrying quotes, as relayed by journalist Fabrizio Romano on X…
?? Rúben Amorim: “The players are anxious and sometimes afraid on the pitch. We have to cope with that”.
“We need the leaders to step up to help the other guys – and I’m the most responsible person here to improve the performances”.
“I am on it”. pic.twitter.com/71iGeMWkbh
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 5, 2025
Amorim said: “The players are anxious and sometimes afraid on the pitch. We have to cope with that. We need the leaders to step up to help the other guys – and I’m the most responsible person here to improve the performances. I am on it.”
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Even if fans weren’t expecting miracles from Amorim straight away, this has perhaps been a worse start than some would have expected under the new manager.
One imagines MUFC could genuinely find themselves in a relegation battle if things don’t improve soon, so it will be interesting to see how Amorim can adapt to his current situation.
So far, the former Sporting boss has been keen to implement his style and philosophy, but it’s perhaps proving difficult without having his own players in the squad.
After a few transfer windows, Amorim might be better able to play the kind of football he wants, so could he do well to try something different and focus on getting results on the board for now?
On the flip side, some pain now might be worth it in the long run if United can improve their all-round approach, but there’s also surely the risk of some really poor results that could drag the club even further down the table.
Amorim is right to stick to his philosophy. Professional players should be able to adapt to different systems of play. Unless of course they don’t want to, or are too nervous to try.
Whatever the excuse, Amorim has to find a way to fix it. It is all in his hands now, and Ineos must help him out in getting him the right players for his system. They hired him knowing the system he always played, so they must play along with him and support him in every way.
INEOS should have known that this season would have been a write off by parachuting Amorim in during the season with him and his coaching team having no pre-season and unable to bring any players (with him) from Sporting until the Summer; how could the existing players be expected to adjust to the different demands and skillsets required of Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system?.What were they thinking of? They should have moved for Amorim at the end of last season or the end of this one.