Despite a wave of hope upon his arrival last November, Ruben Amorim is today under fire at Manchester United. His start to his mandate, supposed to breathe new life into a team losing momentum, turned into a nightmare. One figure, in particular, tarnishes his time and places him behind all his predecessors since Sir Alex Ferguson, fueling the concerns of supporters and management. The Daily Mail newspaper highlighted this alarming statistic.
An even more porous defense
With an average of 1.67 goals conceded per match in the Premier League, Ruben Amorim has the worst defensive record of any Manchester United manager since 2013. This figure even exceeds the statistics of much criticized managers like Ralf Rangnick (1.32) or Ole Gunnar Solskjær (1.16). These worrying performances are partly explained by Amorim’s inability to stabilize a constantly exposed defense.
Set pieces are particularly problematic. Since his arrival, United have already conceded five goals in these phases of play in just six games, illustrating tactical deficiencies and a lack of defensive discipline. These flaws were still obvious during the home defeat against Bournemouth (0-3), where the Red Devils were dominated from the first minutes.
Amorim, the trainer of all negative records.
Amorim’s tactical scheme is already divisive
Amorim relied on a three-man defense, a system that had worked for him at Sporting Portugal. But in Manchester, this strategy did not have the expected effects. Players struggle to adapt to his demands, and individual errors accumulate. The absence of defensive leaders and hesitations in positioning aggravate the situation.
Despite these failures, Ruben Amorim continues to advocate patience. But at Old Trafford, a club accustomed to excellence, results must come quickly. To this day, the Portuguese technician remains under pressure, and his future already seems uncertain.
