Manchester United defender Matthijs de Ligt believes players need to take more responsibility for the team’s struggles than manager Ruben Amorim.
Questions about Amorim’s tactical setup have been prominent ever since he introduced United fans to his 3-4-2-1 formation in November 2024. He has so far refused to change, going as far as to warn club officials they would have to sack him if they want a new formation in their continued search for consecutive Premier League wins for the first time since the first week of the 2023–24 campaign.
While Amorim is under immense pressure, De Ligt argued the manager can only be responsible for so much and it is the players who should be facing more fire for their roles in the slump.
“It’s always easy to look to the manager, but in the end the players on the pitch have to do it,” he stressed. “We can’t say the goals we conceded, or the chances we conceded, are because of, what... I don’t know, you guys always talk about the system.
“That also has a lot to do with focus, concentration, and if that’s lacking in key moments, it’s going to make a difference.”
Jamie Carragher: ‘Disaster’ Amorim Needs to Leave Immediately
De Ligt’s support of Amorim was not shared by Liverpool legend and pundit Jamie Carragher, who argued the manager only remains in a job because of United officials’ unwillingness to admit they made a mistake hiring him in the first place.
“This has been a disaster for Man Utd and Ruben Amorim,” he said on Monday Night Football. “What he did at Sporting Lisbon was fantastic and he looked like the next big thing as a manager. But bringing a manager with a system like his never suited the traditions of Man Utd and the quicker the club make a decision on the manager, I think it’s better for everybody because it has been a disaster for the club but also the manager.
“We’re only waiting for the inevitable, unfortunately. You don’t want to see people lose their jobs but this has to end as quickly as possible.
“The only positive for United is that they haven’t gone all in on his system. They’ve given him lots of money to spent but they haven’t bought lots of centre backs or wingbacks.
“The players they bought can easily be flipped into a back four, getting Bruno Fernandes as No. 10, Bryan Mbeumo on the right, maybe Matheus Cunha to the left and Benjamin Sesko up front and I think a competent football manager could get that team in that system to the European places or fighting for them.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘Easy to Look at the Manager’—Matthijs de Ligt Explains Who Is to Blame for Man Utd Struggles.
