Manchester United’s stuttering start to the new campaign has left head coach Ruben Amorim fighting for his job at Old Trafford.
After using up a lot of early credit in the second half of last season, much was expected from the Portuguese head coach after a full pre season with his players.
However, United look no closer to finding the formula under Amorim with rocky league form being compounded by a disastrous exit from the Carabao Cup to League Two minnows, Grimsby Town.
Calls for Amorim to change his now infamous 3-4-3 system have been widespread but there are no signs the former Sporting coach is willing to adapt his formation and philosophy.
Unlikely ally jumps to Amorim’s defence
Despite the United players clearly struggling to adapt to Amorim’s ways, former Premier League star and now Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors boss, Gus Poyet, insists the problems run deeper than formations at Old Trafford.
As reported by The Express, Poyet believes any coach would fail in the current climate in Manchester, stressing that Amorim is not the problem at the club.
“Man Utd now is not a problem of the coach. Pick the best coach in the world, the one that you like the most, probably at Man Utd, he will get sacked in six months, 10 months, or 18 months.
“I think that Amorim had a great opportunity to get into the Premier League after what he did in Portugal. He couldn’t say no because sometimes you cannot say no to Man Utd, but I assure you that the problem in there is not a coach,” said Poyet.
The ex-Chelsea man put Amorim’s early struggles down to not having suitable players for his system but after a summer of lavish spending and a full pre season, to see no improvement means the issues do not lie with the coach.
“I would say that last year it was tough for him because he’s going into a club with the players that are already there and he tried to impose his system independent of the players.
“Now, they went through preseason and they’ve got plenty of players. And the players that came, they came to play that system.
“So now it’s completely different, and now if it’s not working, it’s not about the system, it’s not about the coach, unfortunately, it’s a problem that’s been there for a long time,” he claimed.
Poyet added there has been a “complete change of culture” at Old Trafford and urged fans to stop comparing the club to the halcyon days of Sir Alex Ferguson, insisting those days are “finished”.
Next steps for Amorim
Despite the unlikely backing from Poyet, Amorim will be acutely aware of the need to deliver results in the next block of games which starts with the visit of Sunderland on Saturday.
Should United fail to beat the newly promoted side, pressure will reach boiling point and it will be a real test for INEOS to hold their nerve during the international break.
This is particularly the case given that the following fixture is a trip to Anfield, which could be the final nail in the coffin should United leave Merseyside with a heavy defeat.
However, if United can win their three October fixtures, Amorim should be granted the time he desperately desires to turn the tide at Old Trafford and win back some of the trust he has sadly lost after such a poor start to the campaign.
Featured image Patrick McDermott via Getty Images
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Conner Botterill
Conner Botterill has been with The Peoples Person for two years. A keen match-going red with degrees in Sport and Journalism and Philosophy and Psychology, Conner still believes he has a chance of making United’s first team through his 5-a-side career.
