Rúben Amorim held his first pre-match press conference as Manchester United manager on Friday, as he prepares for Sunday’s Premier League debut on the bench at Ipswich Town.
The Portuguese boss has been at work for almost two weeks at Carrington, arriving the day after signing off as Sporting boss with victory over Braga. Speaking extensively to the British journalists for the first time, Amorim was confident and relaxed when dealing with a variety of subjects.
Inevitably, plenty of the questions focused on Amorim being the latest high-profile manager charged with restoring United to the top of the sport. Asked what makes him believe he is the man for the job, Amorin projected himself with a typically grounded but amiable approach to his media duties.
“I’m a little bit of a dreamer and I believe in myself,” he smiled. “I also believe in the club, I think we have the same idea, the same mindset, so that can help. I truly believe in the players also. I know that you guys don’t believe a lot in these players, but I believe a lot. I think we have room to improve. I want to try new things. You guys think it’s not possible, but I think it’s possible. We will see in the end.
“We have space to grow as a team. We have to improve in a lot of areas, the understanding of the game. I know it’s a different way of playing and we are changing in the middle of the season. I think we have to improve the physical aspect of the team. I don’t know how long it will take. I know that when you are in Manchester United you have to win a lot of games. It’s the strongest league in the world and we have to improve a lot to try and win it.”
Much has been made in Britain of the impending change at United to Amorim’s 3-4-3 or 3-4-2-1 formation, which has scarcely been used throughout the club’s history. The Lisbon-native insists that there is much more to the project than the system, while addressing some of the main issues with the team he must work on.
“It’s not revolution, because the football is not so different with five players at the back, three players at the back, four players at the back. I cannot say evolution, because we have to wait and see. We will play a different type of football, we have our ideas. I’m not saying it’s the best ideas, but it’s our way of seeing football.
“If you want to speak about the team and the way we play, I think we lose the ball too often, and we have to keep the ball. We have to be better on running back, I think that is clear for everybody. And we have to be very good in the details. Sometimes we are hoping to change a lot of things, big things…I think it’s the small things. The way we see football, playing as a team, understanding the game in one way. I can tell you that in the small things I think I can help these players a lot.”
Mourinho influenced all Portuguese coaches - Amorim
One journalist brought up the subject of José Mourinho’s arrival in 2004, when he left FC Porto to take up the position of manager at Chelsea. Mourinho’s opening press conference is the stuff of legend in English football folklore and Amorin was asked about the significance of Mourinho on his own managerial career, particularly given the younger charge did an internship under Mourinho at United’s training ground in 2018.
“He sent me a message,” Amorim said. “He told me that it’s a lovely club, big club with lovely people. And that is correct, it still is. A lot has changed [since my visit here]. I’m a different guy, I was learning at the time and I hope to teach something here too to my players.
“Firstly, he didn’t just have an influence on me but all Portuguese coaches. He showed that we can be the best in the world. This is something different in a small country, this can put a stamp on everybody.
“But I’m different from Mourinho, I’m a different person. But I remember that time, you looked at Mourinho and felt he can win everywhere. It’s not the same thing. He was European champion, I’m not European champion. But I’m a different guy in a different moment. Football nowadays is different.
“I think I’m the right person for this moment. I’m a young guy, I understand the players. So I try to use that to help my players like Mourinho in that era did in Chelsea. If you remember, the young guys were Lampard and that type of players. Nowadays it’s so different, so I think I’m the right guy for this moment.”
Influence on signings?
“It has to be all together. Because if you are a coach here choosing the players, it could be wrong. It’s a football club that will be here for a long time, whereas you as a coach don’t know that. So everybody has to work together. We have to improve the process of recruitment: the data, the profile of the players we want. I have to have a strong position on that because I’m the coach. It’s all together but I think the final word we can say has to be the manager. Because at the end the responsibility for results is mine. I have to understand the league. Then when everyone is aligned we can buy or sell players.
Is United the impossible job?
“You’ve had here different types of coaches. The ones that won everything like Van Gaal and Mourinho. You have ones that knew the club inside out like Solskjaer. Then you have one of the best ever outside the five strongest leagues, which was Ten Hag. Different types of coaches, same results. We have to improve as a club. We will try to do it our way: INEOS way, my way. And try to win. I don’t think it’s the impossible job. Call me naïve. But I truly believe I’m the right guy in the right moment. I could be wrong, but the earth still will turn and the sun will rise. So I’m not worried about that.”
Why believe in players who have failed so badly recently?
“You have to believe. You can say it’s just been one week, three training sessions, they changed the coach so everyone is excited. But I start and they are open to different things. The only things I ask: hard work and you have to believe in the new ideas. And I felt that, so until they prove me wrong I believe in the players.”
Can you ask the players to play your formation or do you have to suit the players?
“As a coach, you have to choose one way or another. I choose always 100% our way. I prefer to risk a little bit, but to push in the first moment. If they feel that since the first day, I believe so much in our way of playing, they will believe too. There is no second doubts, no second way. It’s one way and we are going to do it. We will adapt some players if it’s not the right profile and this team was built for a different system. But like I said already it’s the same thing playing with five or four: the principles are the same, the positioning is a little bit different.
“Maybe on Sunday you see the list of starting players and you don’t feel a lot of change. But you will feel it in the game in the positioning, in the way they receive the ball, to cover the ball. You will see some changes.”
By @SeanGillen9
