There was no puff of white smoke at Old Trafford in midweek and Ruben Amorim remains in charge of Man United.
Amorim: no puff of white smoke yet
Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim suggested even the Pope could not change him to pick a different formation.
Amorim has used the 3-4-2-1 system in all 47 matches he has taken charge of at United but the team have won only eight out of 31 in the Premier League.
United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe visited United’s Carrington training complex on Thursday but there was no puff of white smoke. Ratcliffe reassured Amorim after a galling start to the season in which United have won one of their five matches and were humiliatingly eliminated from the League Cup by fourth-tier Grimsby Town.
Amorim will continue to use the 3-4-2-1 system he swears by in United’s Premier League home fixture against Chelsea on Saturday night and clarified he does not intend to change United’s shape now.
“No, no, no,” Amorim replied when asked if the formation was mentioned with Ratcliffe. “No one, not even the Pope will change… This is my job. This is my responsibility. This is my life. So, I will not change that.
“But I will change the system, there will be an evolution, but we need to make all the good steps. If I’m a player and I have a coach that, with a lot of pressure, it doesn’t matter if he’s all around the world, is saying, ‘you need to change the system’ and I’m going to change in this moment, they will look at me in a different way.
“So, everything, when you think about the impact that any decision is going to have on the team, everything is important. So, I will say the same thing: this will have an evolution. I’m doing things my way. Some guys do it in a different way.
“But it will change. So, I hope to have the time to change! But it will change.”
Amorim expressed encouragement at United’s performance progression, citing their second-place status for the expected goals metric. United are first for most attempts at goal and efforts that have hit the woodwork in the Premier League.
However, United have scored one goal from open play in six hours in the league so far this term. Apart from Bryan Mbeumo’s second-half strike against Burnley, United have scored two own goals and Bruno Fernandes converted an added-time penalty to beat Burnley.
Amorim is under more pressure
Champions Liverpool have won all five of their league and Champions League games with a goal scored in the last ten minutes or in added time. Amorim feels Liverpool have the belief United are lacking.
“I think it’s everything,” he opined. “It’s belief. It’s confidence. It’s aggression. It’s everything. And sometimes, what we call luck is the way we play the game with more belief.
“So I think it’s Liverpool. It’s winning all the games. It’s something about the teams that are winning that something is going to happen, to have that feeling. And sometimes, with us, I feel the opposite. We are playing well, but something is going to go wrong in some moments.
United lost 3-0 at City
So, we need to change that, but it’s just with wins. I can do whatever. They can do whatever. But, if you look at the goals against City, Fulham, all these moments, we scored against Burnley. We are good in the game and then we take the draw.
“All these moments, I think we can do better. It’s our fault. So, we work on that during the week to improve for the next.”
Amorim was fleetingly linked with a return to Lisbon as Benfica manager early in the week. Reports in Portugal suggested Benfica presidential candidate João Noronha Lopes was keen on bringing Amorim in to replace Bruno Lage, who was sacked after the Champions League defeat to Qarabag in midweek.
Mourinho is back in Lisbon
Instead, incumbent Benfica president Rui Costa appointed Amorim’s mentor and former United manager, Jose Mourinho, as Lage’s replacement. Former Sporting coach Amorim clarified that there was no contact with Benfica and that whenever he leaves United he will require a break.
“No guys, no contact,” Amorim added. “I’m Manchester United manager. Until something changes, and after that, for sure, if it’s next month, tomorrow, in ten years, I will rest because I deserve it.
“So, no contact, not so ever. And then Mourinho is there. So guys, if you want, you will have fun!”