Ruben Amorim is talking like an elite coach – my expectations are high

Debut trip to Ipswich will be tricky but I am sure charismatic coach will immediately give Man Utd a glimpse of a brighter future

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It can take years for a manager to perfect his football ideals, but the best require only one game to show the world what they are.
That is why Ruben Amorim’s introduction as Manchester United manager is the most eagerly anticipated Premier League debut in years.
I cannot wait to see United take on Ipswich Town on Sunday afternoon because we are about to witness one of the most radical mid-season changes in formation and strategy ever imposed by one of the elite clubs.
Facing the side fourth from bottom might seem a gentle introduction to English football for Amorim. My suspicion is it will be much trickier than many think.
United are not just playing Ipswich at Portman Road. They face a manager who arguably knows more about the strengths and weaknesses within United’s squad than the new coach.
Kieran McKenna was at United until 2021 and many of those he worked with are still there. When the line-ups are announced and McKenna sees which players are adopting unfamiliar positions, it will add another dimension to how Ipswich will try to ruin Amorim’s opening day. McKenna – one of the coaches who was considered as a replacement for Erik ten Hag last summer before Amorim was on the agenda – is arguably the best-qualified in the league to make an immediate assessment as to whether some United players will be square pegs in round holes.
Amorim’s introduction of the 3-4-3 that was so successful at Sporting Lisbon means United’s players will be adapting to an entirely new approach. Longer-term, we can expect a significant improvement in results and performances. Short-term, it is natural to expect teething problems.
One of the first tactical issues for Amorim is deciding if his wing-backs are going to be full-backs under orders to support the attack, or wingers with the responsibility to help out in defence. In his first three games, against Ipswich, Everton and Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League, Amorim may be tempted to go with the attackers. By his fourth fixture, away at Arsenal, his inclination may be more defensive.
Whatever the outcome, Amorim’s set-up will have tactical aficionados on the edge of their seats and it is sure to be a focal point of the analysis on Monday Night Football. My expectations are high.
First impressions count and Amorim is ticking the right boxes before the first ball is kicked.
Obviously, he will be judged on Manchester United’s results, but managing a club of such stature demands more than top-class coaching ability.
The most successful have an aura and personality. Only those working in the same environment can offer a first-hand account of how the manager operates behind the scenes, but for those of us on the outside looking in, perceptions matter.
Without dwelling too much on United’s recent past, this was a red flag against Ten Hag from day one. Two games into his reign, Gary Neville and I had the pleasure of interviewing Ten Hag at United’s training ground. He was a polite guy but there was no sense of an x-factor.
Driving away from the meeting that day, I turned to Gary and said: “He must be a supercoach because there isn’t much charisma.”
These reservations were based on having enjoyed the privilege of working under, or speaking to, some of the greatest managers of our generation. The best can charm an audience, whether that is speaking to one or two reporters, 75,000 spectators or 24 talented and highly confident young footballers who will turn up for the first training session thinking: “Go on then, inspire me!”
Ten Hag never convinced anyone he had that spark.
In the Premier League era, we will always remember Jose Mourinho brashly declaring himself “the Special One” to take on and beat Sir Alex Ferguson, Pep Guardiola guaranteeing every listener craves his tactical insights, or Jürgen Klopp prepared to speak with authority about any subject.
A Manchester United manager must carry the same gravitas, and although he has only given one media interview to his club’s website since being appointed, if I was a supporter I would already believe Amorim’s character will be vastly different from his predecessor.
One moment in Amorim’s unveiling stood out. When given the opportunity to appeal for time to impose his vision for the side, he declined.
“Day one we will start with our identity,” he said. “I think you will see an idea. You could like it or not, I don’t know, but you will see an idea. You will see a positioning. You will see something that we want to reach. You will feel that. This, I can guarantee.”
These are the words you expect from elite coaches.
When Mourinho took over at Chelsea, he instantly created the ultimate, defensively organised unit to beat United 1-0 at Stamford Bridge.
Guardiola immediately encouraged his defenders to assume midfield positions in a flexible formation that has since been imitated around the world.
And it took Klopp just 90 minutes to make Liverpool’s players run further and press higher than before.
These managers may have needed time to produce world-class performances, but they needed none whatsoever for their teams to offer a glimpse of what was to come.
What they also had in common was a stubbornness to stick to their philosophy. Players would come and go and there might have been the occasional tweaks, but when you name the greatest managers from any generation, you can be sure you will immediately associate them with a particular style.
At the highest level, this “identity”, as we now always call it, is non-negotiable. It separates the best from the rest. Once they veer away from it, it feels like the beginning of the end.
Strangely enough, lower down the league the opposite seems to be true. While those at the top are often criticised if they fail to have a clear, consistent plan, those fighting relegation will get ostracised if they are unwilling to be pragmatic.
Vincent Kompany suffered that with Burnley last season, but it did not stop him getting the Bayern Munich job. Russell Martin is experiencing the same with Southampton.
At Ipswich, McKenna appears to be more willing to adapt to his circumstances, recognising he may have to make changes to stay in the division.
He switched to three centre-backs against Tottenham Hotspur to secure his side’s first win of the season. Now Ipswich are out of the relegation zone, and it is testament to McKenna’s quality that, despite so few wins, they look capable of avoiding relegation.
With respect to the current United side, a trip to Spurs is a tougher assignment for Ipswich than this weekend’s home game.
Immediately following an international break, that makes them a dangerous opponent first up for Amorim.
The instant judgement is that he looks and sounds like a Manchester United manager. Now we are setting the stopwatch to see how long it takes for his players to resemble a Manchester United team.
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