Thomas Frank must be sleeping with his teddy bear close at night. The managerial roundabout is in full swing in what has been a dramatic few weeks in the Premier League.
The Premier League managerial massacre
First, Enzo Maresca- who won two trophies with Chelsea- suddenly quit off the back of some poor form. Reuben Amorim has become the latest high-profile casualty, sacked just 18 months after taking over from the much-maligned Erik Ten Flop. Amorim apparently had an extensive meeting with United bigwigs Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox, resulting in what was said to be an ‘untenable’ situation. I’m going to just break this down and look at how we got to this point.
Cold hard facts
Let’s quickly set the record straight for some of those diehard Amorim loyalists: his time at United has been utterly disastrous. United won less than a 3rd of their Premier League games under Amorim (15 out of 47). They lost more games than they won under Amorim in the league! He averaged a pitiful 1.23 points per game in the Prem (even Rangnick had more with 1.54). Their run to last year’s Europa League final ended in catastrophe, with a humbling loss to domestic rivals Spurs. For one night in Bilbao, Amorim allowed Spurs to not be ‘Spursy’. Then you had the entire Grimsby fiasco, where they became the first United team in history to get knocked out of a competition by a side from the 4th tier of English football. It’s somewhat miraculous that he survived for as long as he did.
But why not pull the trigger after one of those imminently sackable offences? Why wait till halfway through a season when you are positioned 6th in the table, skating on the fringes of Champions League contention? Amorim made a few astute buys in the summer, with Bryan Mbemuo on the outer reaches of Player of the Year consideration. They have started to score more freely and appear to have fixed their goalkeeping issue.
The swirling rumour mill
Rumours suggest that Amorim had grown frustrated with the club’s lack of ambition in the transfer market (especially in the wake of Afcon departures and injury). It has also been suggested that he wasn’t entirely pleased with the ambiguity over his position. Was he a manager, or was he a coach? I personally think all these factors pale in comparison to the ultimate reason for Amorim’s departure: his own stubbornness. I think that the United hierarchy probably made up their mind in the aftermath of that dire 1-1 draw with Wolves. Let me explain.
3-4-3 till he dies
Ruben Amorim has been bullheaded in his insistence on playing that 3-4-3 formation. It has become the all-consuming tenet of his managerial philosophy, regardless of personnel (it’s almost a fetish at this point). Sorry, top managers adapt to the nature of their squad and demands of the league in which they are playing (look at how Conte switched to a back-three at Chelsea). Teams have strolled through United’s midfield these past few seasons and Amorim has stuck to his beliefs with a level of obstinance that borders on the arrogant (or the delusional).
Amorim gaslights club
And then a miracle happened: Amorim caved. He opted for a flat back-four at home to Newcastle United. And guess what? They won. Sure, they were hardly at their dynamic best and were probably a bit fortunate to claim all three points. But it was nonetheless a solid three-points against a top-four candidate. Patrick Dorgu looked unshackled on the right-wing, liberated from the more defensive wingback role. More importantly, the manager showed refreshing flexibility. So, what does he do at home to a Wolves side vying for consideration as one of the worst sides in Premier League history? He retreats to a back three and United get humiliated at Old Trafford, with Wolves picking up their first point since Sinners came out in theatres (ok, not that bad, but it’s been a while). Honestly, he clings to his 3-4-3 system during mammoth dry spells but immediately abandons the new formation after a victory!
I don’t think that the United hierarchy could quite believe what they were seeing. Amorim, who had just won a game relying on a more ‘traditional’ system, reverted to his staple and lost points at home to a poor Wolves side (and Wolves could have easily won that match). They did the same thing this weekend, dropping two points in their 1-1 draw at Leeds (though most United fans would have been content with a 1-1 draw at Leeds had they done the business against Wolves). But losing points in that manner felt like an indictment of his entire philosophy.
Pride comes before the fall
Following Sunday’s draw with Leeds, Amorim said, “I have the feeling we have to play a perfect 3-4-3, we need to spend a lot of money and we need time.” Even at the very end, he was preaching his 3-4-3 gospel. And I just think United had enough of it. The United ownership must take responsibility for becoming his enablers. But I think that Amorim crossed the Rubicon with that 3-4-3 system at home to lowly Wolves (especially in the wake of Newcastle). It proved that his personal philosophy meant more to him than the overall success of the club. That sounds plenty untenable to me.
