A frustrated Ruben Amorim insisted he won’t resign as Manchester United manager after his latest pre-match press conference was dominated by questions over his future and the tactics he employs at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils splashed the cash on the likes of Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Šeško in the summer, significantly strengthening their forward line, but haven’t been able to address the defensive issues that plagued them last season.
Last weekend’s 3–1 defeat away at Brentford, which featured more questionable goalkeeping from recently appointed number one, Altay Bayındır, has increased the scrutiny on the job Amorim is doing, with the eye of the storm transfixed on the Portuguese’s coach unwillingness to veer away from his patented 3-4-2-1 formation.
Amorim has stated before that he won’t walk away from United, regardless of how bad results get, and he reinforced that notion in a lively exchange with reporters ahead of Saturday afternoon’s clash with Premier League new boys Sunderland.
Amorim: The Worst Thing Is to Not Win Games
“Because the worst thing in this job is to not win games. That is the same feeling I had in Casa Pia when I lost in the third division,” Amorim said, when asked why he doesn’t fear losing his job.
“And then it's a job. Of course, it's a dream to be here. And I want to continue here. And I want to fight for this. But the problem is now, what makes me suffer is to lose games, not to lose my job.
“You fear to lose your job when you have to pay the bills and I don't have that feeling. I just want to continue this. But when we don't win games, that is the suffering that I have. It is not the fear of losing the job. I don't care. I'm telling you when we finish the game and you can see me, I don't care about my job. That hurt of not winning games or failing. That is the thing that hurts me the most.”
Amorim continued: “That is a decision of the board. I cannot do that. Sometimes I have that feeling and losing is hard. It's so frustrating when you create the momentum, go to the next game, and something happens.
“That feeling sometimes hurts me a lot. Also the players and especially the staff here. But that is not my decision. And I think it would be really hard to leave if I don't do everything to follow my career here.”
Amorim: Man Utd’s Problem Is Not the System
“I'm not concerned about that and nobody here is naive. We understand that we need results to continue the project,” Amorim said having been asked if United’s board had given him assurances about his future.
“We will reach a point that is impossible for everyone because this is a very big club with a lot of sponsors, with two owners. So it's hard. That balance is really hard. So I'm not concerned about that.
“What I want is to see my team winning or losing playing the same way and we are not doing that, in the simple things of playing football that anyone can do.
“So my biggest problem is [if] my players believe in you guys when they say the problem of our team is the system. I get crazy about that because I can see the team, I see this team playing in a different system.
“We need to play the same way with the same power with the same intensity with the same focus. If you do that, the system doesn't matter.”
Conflicting Reports About Amorim’s Job Security
Whether or not Amorim’s job at United is really at risk is anybody’s guess. It emerged on Friday that Sir Jim Ratcliffe will ultimately be the one to decide whether or not a change of manager is needed, but he’s currently inclined to keep Amorim on until the end of the season, irrespective of how bad results may be.
Why? Because he understands that Amorim is working to completely overhaul United’s squad—something that started in the summer with the clearing out of players like André Onana, Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho—and that stability off the field is what is likely to provide future success on it.
A later report from The Telegraph suggests the exact opposite, musing that Amorim could be sacked if United lose to Sunderland on Saturday. With Liverpool coming up immediately after the international break, there’s “acute pressure” on Amorim to come with the goods against a Sunderland side who have stepped up to the top level in some style following their Championship play-off final win.
Amorim’s suitability to the job is reported to be the concern of some of United’s hierarchy, who will undoubtedly have a voice and line in to Ratcliffe before any decision is made. Indeed, chief executive officer Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox will have significant input on whether to stick or twist with Amorim, as will majority owner Joel Glazer.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Ruben Amorim Lets Loose After Relentless Questioning About Man Utd Future.
