Man Utd and the big question: ‘Is Amorim trying to be sacked?’

Ruben Amorim and Manchester United continue to dominate the agenda, but who would take over from the Portuguese?

We also have some thoughts on Liverpool’s signings and the brilliance of Arsenal so far this season.

Send your views to theeditor@football365.com

Ruben Amorim is a saboteur for the ages

Gotta hand it to Manchester United. In recent years, they’ve truly become the gift that keeps on giving. Rival fans used to have to work for a laugh — now all it takes is a glance at the back pages or a scroll through social media. I mean, was it ever this bleak for their supposed rivals? One went 30 years without a league title, the other nosedived to League One, and still neither descended into the meme-fodder pantomime United have mastered in the post-Fergie era.

Which brings me to Ruben Amorim — or should I say, Agent Amorim?

Now, we’ve all made jokes about certain managers being double agents, sent by rival clubs to sabotage from within. Usually tongue-in-cheek stuff. But with Amorim? Honestly, I’m not so sure anymore. The man’s a masterpiece of incompetence — or covert brilliance, depending how you look at it.

People are piling on the poor guy, but let’s be fair — if a man this determined to get sacked still hasn’t been sacked, then maybe the problem isn’t just the manager, but the clowns upstairs running the circus.

Let’s review the evidence:

Eight PL wins in 31, a goal difference deeper in the red than their balance sheet. That gets you sacked in Sunday league. But at United, it’s just another chapter in the long, miserable saga of delusion over direction.

Every week, the same tactical car crash — not because he doesn’t know better, but because it works… at delivering defeats.

Persistently selecting the same underperforming players week after week, ensuring fans enjoy that sweet, familiar taste of failure.

They didn’t even qualify for Europe this season, so there wasn’t even the dignity of a Thursday night humbling in Moldova to cling to. Instead, they crashed out of the Carabao Cup courtesy of Grimsby Town, and are now left with just one competition to “focus on” — which, hilariously, doesn’t even start until January.

All this after spending over £200 million in the summer — the fifth-highest spenders in Europe — yet somehow forgetting to buy a single competent defender. It’s like going shopping for a winter coat and coming back with five pairs of sunglasses!

And in the middle of it all? Amorim, sat on the bench fiddling with his tactics board, like some abstract artist in the middle of a nervous breakdown. The pièce de résistance? Throwing Harry Maguire up top and calling it a “plan.”

And when the tactical disasters and limp performances weren’t enough, he went full kamikaze in the post-match press conference — all but daring the board to sack him, saying, ‘You can’t change the system, you need to change the man.’ That’s not analysis — that’s a resignation letter read aloud, and they still didn’t take the hint.

I mean… what more does a man have to do?

He’s tanked the derby, served up dross weekly, mugged off his own board on live TV — and yet there he is, still on the payroll. If that’s not a metaphor for United, I don’t know what is.

When Amorim finally gets his marching orders — and let’s be honest, that could still take a while — I, for one, will miss him deeply.
Mr K – God bless you, Ruben. Your services to Manchester City Football Club will never be forgotten

Amorim wants to go

You can see it in his eyes. In his body language. In his stubborn insistence on that formation. He allegedly tried to quit last season when he saw the scale of the rebuild. He didn’t even want to come mid-season. He can see his reputation as a bright young thing disintegrating before his eyes. Why didn’t he do another couple of years in Portugal, maybe off to PSG or Bayern.. Let him go. There’s hope for him, Sir Jim. Don’t make the captain go down with the ship..

Seriously though, I’ve never seen a manager so clearly unhappy with his job. Nuno for instance would turn Man United around within a month or two, even with that squad. Play four at the back, three solid defensive mid, then 3 of Bruno, Amad, Mbuemo, Cunha, Sesko up front. It doesn’t even seem that hard. Is Amorim trying to be sacked?
Dan, London

Amorim out? Who are you replacing him with?

I am unsurprised by United fans calling for Amorim’s sack. But the real question is who do you want to replace him?

Part of Amorim’s allure was he was a young manager, and he has now basically ruined his reputation with his managing of United. If I was an up-and-coming manager, I wouldn’t go anywhere near that club. It is a basket case. Also, your fans do not have the patience for young managers.

So do you go for an old head? Someone who’s been around the block, but who is an old head and couldn’t see that they’d be inheriting a poison chalice?

TBF there are some good managers available. But even though Poch or Zidane are available I’m guessing Ratcliffe et al will go for either Oliver Glasner, Irola or most likely Gareth Southgate.

So be careful what you wish for United fans.
John Matrix AFC

READ: Who will be the next Man Utd manager if Ruben Amorim is sacked?

…Thank goodness clubs are not run by the fans otherwise these “Chicken Littles” would have Amorim’s head on a spike by now. All this clap trap about DNA or the “United Way” but it’s not Amorim who is giving the ball away or not tracking back.

We are nowhere near completing the “open heart surgery” and it is painfully obvious that Shaw, Dalot, Casemiro, Ugarte, Maguire all either lack the athletic ability and/or the brains to do what is required. And Bruno is the epitome of everything wrong with the team.

Amorin has said he will need at least a couple of transfer windows. Cunha and Mbeumo were bought as stop gaps until the next generation mature and the toxicity has been drained. Until then, we are a bang average team who will be lucky to finish 10th. We are just going to have to take our licks.
Adidasmufc (I’m curious to know who people think can turn this around… Southgate, Xavi, Nuno, Zidane?)

Man Utd need to smile

When was the last time you saw the United players/manager/support staff smiling?

There’s been a big Ferguson gorilla on the back of everyone for 20 years now and you know what everyone just needs to shake him off and smile. The best thing Amorim could do this week is relax, go have fun, it’s football, go play with freedom.

Moyes, Van Gaal, Mourinho, Ten Hag and now Amorim everyone’s just got bogged down. All this talk of formations and processes, the players are actually good, they were when they were bought and they prove it again when they leave.

Just chill out United, results may improve if you do….
Paul (Canterbury)

Some Manchester derby musings

Haaland shot after 15 seconds set the tone for the game. Pathetic defending and nobody prepared to take charge. Keano was bang on, no yellow cards in a derby, passive defending people not putting bodies on the line.

The goal. Foden runs off Bruno who doesn’t track him. So poor.

The next goal. So poor. My god you cant defend like that.

Haaland misses an open goal because we’re trying to play out yet again and failing. Awful.

Mbuemo chance was a lofty hit and hope cross he made the best of. Good save Gigi.

The next goal. Sweet jesus Mary and Joseph. We’re awful.

Reijnders chance a other midfield runner not tracked. Luke Shaw trying his hardest to run and keep up.

Mbuemo chance belted at him by Diallo.

Casemiro chance belted at him.

This is not creating chances.

The formation with 3 at the back doesn/t work and I’ll tell you why.

Most teams play a 4231 or a version of it (451) with 1 central striker and 2 wide forwards.

Take Liverpool.

If you line up against them with 3 ctr backs who are they marking? Shaw would play left side and mark Salah. Yoro would play right side and mark Gakpo. It’d leave De Ligt in the middle on his own marking say Ekitike, so you cant do that. So who marks the wide forwards? Your wing backs, Dorgu and Diallo or Mazroui are taksed with defending and are pretty much nullified as a forward threat. So you’ve got 5 at the back with 3 ctr backs now marking 1 central striker. And still shipping 2-3 goals every game (bar Fulham).

We need to play 4 at the back, let the full backs mark their wide forwards, 2 ctr backs marking a striker, you then go man for man in the middle and have your own wide forwards pinning their full backs back…..

31 points from 31 games is truly awful and proof Amorim’s system, ideas, formation is not working. He won’t change and will be sacked before November. Who’ll touch him after that? Anyone wanting this shite formation? It’ll be really interesting to see who offers him a gig based on what he’s achieved at United because he doesn’t deserve / hasn’t earned anything at all. He’s going to fall on his own sword because he’s stubborn and somehown STILL !! Believes this is the way to play to the point it’s laughable now.

We couldn’t get Donnarumma or Martinez over the line to boost the GK department and bought an unproven Belgian only to stick him on the bench because he’s not ready…..I’m sorry but if he’s not ready or trusted to be thrown on why have we bought him?

I’ve had a gutsful.
Gibbo (MUFC – down under)

…I don’t even know where to start. Yesterday’s defeat to Man City has left me completely empty. I thought I’d be angry, I thought I’d at least be able to rant, but instead I just feel… nothing. Just disappointment so deep that words don’t really cover it.

It’s not just losing — it’s the way it happened. The gulf felt huge, and it hurts to admit that. Supporting this team usually means riding the highs and lows, but this one cut deeper than most.

Right now, all I can say is that I’m gutted beyond belief.
Gaptoothfreak, Man. Utd., New York (Currently at the “Acceptance” stage of grief)

The key to Manchester United victory? 12 players

I think Victor Enite has cracked it, the best way for Manchester United to start winning games is to play with 12 men in what appears to be a 4-5-2 formation. Either that or he’s decided that there’s no point playing a goalkeeper if they’re all crap.

Let’s take a look at his suggestions:

A four man defence of Shaw, Yoro, De Ligt and Dalot. So far so conventional. Yawn.

A five man midfield with Ugarte, Casemiro and Fernandes in the centre, and Cunha and Amad out wide. Sensible given they’re always outnumbered in there.

A front line of Mainoo behind Mbeumo. There it is! The secret to creating more chances and still keeping things tight at the back, sneak that 12th man on and hope nobody notices.

I hope for their sake that Amorim is taking note. They’ll be climbing the league in no time.
Pete, Whitley Bay
(Anyone else thinking they’d still have lost yesterday even with an extra man??)

What about Arne Slot’s Liverpool signings?

Is there going to be a discussion about Slot’s signings any time soon? They’ve all been underwhelming/crap up to this point. They spent over £100m on a lightweight Bundesliga playmaker who looks well out of his depth. The two fullbacks – Kerkez in particular – look suspect. Ekitike looks a bit meh as well. And it’ll interesting to see how robust Isak’s fitness is.

It’s funny because in days gone by we’d be happy to give players time and let them settle, but we live in a culture these days that sees Gyokeres at Arsenal – who cost half as much as Wirtz – getting stick after an hour against United. Yet there’s barely been a mention of how mediocre Slot’s signings have looked so far. Why the protection for Liverpool?

Liverpool have looked more than a little lucky at the start of this season and there’s no guarantees that they’re just going to click. To me it looks like Slot/Liverpool are burning through their magic beans a little early.
SPT (pray for Van Dijk’s hamstrings)

Will Saka end up in the middle?

I put the prop bet in at the beginning of the season that Madueke would end up being so good it would allow Arsenal to reevaluate where we played Saka, and with Odegaard struggling for fitness, I could imagine a world where a three behind the striker of Eze, Saka and Madueke interchanging actually happens in games this year.

The idea Saka would play anywhere other than the right when he was so devastating there always seemed daft, but the tools he has to play 10/second striker are all there.

Much like Messi gravitated to the place on the pitch that he could do the most damage having started wide, Saka’s intelligence, close control and finishing would be a dream behind Gyokeres/Havertz.

Madueke may not offer the elite production from wide, but he clearly has the take on/player beating ability to draw men out to him we could take advantage of in the centre and if he keeps this up, he is making himself undroppable.

I understand that people are saying the best version of Liverpool hasn’t been seen this season, but I think that is definitely the case with Arsenal now too and I am going to make the second outlandish prediction now I think Arsenal will score the most goals and concede the fewest this season.

Will this win us the Premier League? I think so, but I can also see us and Liverpool topping 90pts and I cannot contest the level of game winners they have in the biggest moments, so it could be them winning at the death. There will be less than 3 points in it at the end of the year.
Tom, Leyton