Ruben Amorim has struggled during his early months as Manchester United boss but Liverpool icon Jamie Carragher has leapt to the defence of the Portuguese coach
Ruben Amorim has struggled during his early months as Manchester United boss but Liverpool icon Jamie Carragher has leapt to the defence of the Portuguese coach Ruben Amorim has struggled during his early months as Manchester United boss but Liverpool icon Jamie Carragher has leapt to the defence of the Portuguese coach
Jamie Carragher claims he admires Ruben Amorim for his approach – despite thinking things could get even worse.
Manchester United are in horrendous form under their new Portuguese head coach having lost five out of their last six games. There have been calls for Amorim to change his system to draw performances out of his players.
But in a conversation with Gary Neville, the former Sporting Lisbon coach has vowed to stick by his philosophy and Carragher agrees that is the right way to go.
Writing on a column for The Telegraph, he said: “There are already calls for Amorim to change his formation, but he cannot be expected to shift his philosophy after 11 games.
“Speaking to Gary Neville before the Newcastle United defeat on Monday, Amorim said it would be ‘the end for any coach’ if they started changing their ideas because of results. If Amorim switched to four at the back in response to United’s results it would undermine his reason for being there.
“Some coaches, especially those near the bottom of the table whose remit is to survive, look at a squad and mould the team to suit those available. With Amorim it is the opposite. The players may change but the formation will not. I admire that and agree with it.”
And while Carragher has leapt to Amorim’s defence, he has given a worrying prediction. He believes that the Red Devils’ slump could get even worse before fans see any improvement.
The Liverpool icon added: “Suggesting it was always likely to get worse at United before it gets better is reasonable. Problems are to be expected and they are not unprecedented. Mikel Arteta had issues in his first years at Arsenal while the squad adapted. Klopp was the same at Liverpool, winning 13 and losing eight of his first 30 Premier League games.
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He added: “Now it is a case of how much worse it can get. United will not go down, but for them even to be referenced as needing results to get away from those fighting relegation is unacceptable.”
Neville meanwhile emphasised that the new manager needs to be supported, if he is to bring his vision to Old Trafford. He suggested Amorim needs at least two players to help implement his ‘unique’ style.
The ex-United skipper said: “I think if you were starting, you’d have to start with the fundamentals of this system, which is the wing-backs, they hold it together.
“So you need two quite unique players in those wide areas, and I think that will be the starting point. And that’s nothing against Mazraoui or Dalot, I think they’re very willing and doing the job the very best that they can. But they’re to me the areas that I would start in this system.”
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