Ruben Amorim’s performance at the helm of Manchester United is being evaluated under scrutiny, and the numbers do not favor the Portuguese coach.
The formula is simple: win more games than you lose, score more goals than you concede, and make the right decisions. However, Amorim is not fulfilling any of these premises, perhaps because his 3-4-3 scheme has only generated problems for a team in difficulty.
The United board, for now, backs Amorim, believing it’s a matter of time for the new signings to adapt and confidence to return to the team. However, results are the final judge for any coach, and Amorim will not be the exception. Time could be running out for the coach, as he is losing too many matches.
The 3-1 defeat to Brentford deepens United’s crisis.
United’s fans seem to have lost faith in Amorim.
Amorim doesn’t seem worried about his future at the club.
The 3-1 defeat to Brentford was the seventeenth Premier League defeat suffered by United in the 33 matches managed by Amorim, a performance that has generated only 34 points, with an average of 1.03 per game. His win percentage in the competition is 27.3%, making him the worst United manager in the Premier League era, even surpassing David Moyes.
In his 33 league games as a coach, United has only scored 39 goals and conceded 53. In all competitions, he has managed 49 games, but has lost more (21) than he has won (19), and his team has conceded as many goals as it has scored (95 for; 95 against).
Furthermore, they haven’t achieved consecutive victories in the Premier League, nor away wins since March. To add to their poor record, United lost against a fourth-division team for the first time in their history, when Grimsby Town eliminated them from the Carabao Cup last month.
Faced with this situation, United’s board, led by CEO Omar Berrada and football director Jason Wilcox, faces the difficult task of justifying Amorim’s continued presence in the position.
Sources indicate that the lack of a credible and available replacement is an important factor in Amorim’s continuity. However, it is also recognized that the results are far below expectations and that the Portuguese coach has not yet managed to improve the performance of the team he inherited from Ten Hag last November.The atmosphere in the locker room has been affected by off-field issues, including staff cuts, which has impacted team morale. Amorim is not responsible for the mistakes of previous United coaches and directors.
Amorim was looking for an experienced goalkeeper to replace André Onana, but the high costs of signing Gianluigi Donnarumma or Emiliano Martínez led United to sign Senne Lammens.
Despite Amorim’s statements about the lack of physicality in midfield, United didn’t sign any midfielders and reduced their options by loaning out Toby Collyer without replacing him.
United invested over £200 million in signings this summer, with the arrival of Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha, and Benjamin Sesko.
Numbers don’t lie and the outlook is bleak for Amorim. His future at the club hangs by a thread, and a poor performance in his next match could mean his departure.
