LAURA WOODS: WHY AMORIM COST HIMSELF THE MAN UTD JOB
LEEDS DRAW SHOWS WHERE MANCHESTER UNITED ARE
I did the game at Elland Road for TNT and, when we interviewed Daniel Farke after the game, he was really disappointed not to have got all three points – for me that’s just not right from a Manchester United perspective.
Whatever way you look at it, United should be beating a newly-promoted and relegation-threatened side.
The fact they’re not and the opposing manager is coming out and saying his side should have won speaks volumes about where Manchester United are and the lack of progress under Ruben Amorim.
AMORIM’S LACK OF FLEXIBILITY HAS COST HIM
There was clearly some issues between Amorim and the United hierarchy, given the way he’d spoken in press conferences, and it sounds like transfers were a big stumbling block.
I do feel an element of sympathy for him as these things do take time but, fundamentally, results haven’t been good enough.
United knew what they were getting with him, though, and he’s always been very clear that he’s got his methods and he does things his way.
I was a little surprised it has happened now – as there have been worse results than the one on Sunday – but the impression I’m getting is there were a lot more issues behind the scenes.
He had the lowest average points per game of any United manager in the Premier League era and, while the fact they are sixth in the league is a positive, I’m not sure that’s a true reflection of where they are because the Premier League is so weak this season.
I don’t know if this was considered by INEOS but I do think Amorim’s lack of flexibility was a big reason why his United side have struggled.
I look at Leeds as an example, where Daniel Farke has changed his plans based on the opposition and the players he has at his disposal.
Amorim doesn’t seem to be able to do that and the fact his team have lost more points from winning positions and conceded more equalisers than any other team this season shows his team aren’t managing games well.
He should, as the manager, be able to change things up to protect a lead… he didn’t seem to be able to do that.
UNITED HAVE NO IDENTITY OR DIRECTION
Of course Manchester United want to be a big club but, from an outside perspective, they have looked like a club for quite some time who don’t know their identity and what they want to achieve.
I know Jose Mourinho’s style of play wasn’t what the fans wanted to see but he won a trophy – not many managers since Sir Alex Ferguson have done that.
They can’t keep getting it wrong with managers because the gap between them and the other big clubs is getting bigger and bigger.
