Amorim should care what Keane says
And other weekend issues...
Ruben Amorim should care what Roy Keane believes. He should care about the viewpoint of a former captain and midfielder who embodied all the strengths that Manchester United currently lack: leadership, dynamism, courage, technical quality consistently applied, hunger for trophies, and physical and mental robustness.
Amorim should care that most people, pundits to punters, say the same thing about United: that his 3-4-2-1 system doesn’t suit the players more used to 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 and that they have taken only 23 points from the 21 Premier League games he has overseen.
Amorim should also care that fans are whispering that at least they won two trophies under his predecessor Erik ten Hag, who was still shown the door. Amorim is focused solely on the Europa League, and a possible back-door pass into the Champions League. But every game matters for Manchester United.
Amorim should actually care and appreciate that most observers also point out that it’s not his fault he’s inherited this overpaid, underachieving gaggle of players. He’s working with Andre Onana and Rasmus Hojlund where once United had Peter Schmeichel and Eric Cantona, Edwin van der Sar and Ruud van Nistelrooy, David de Gea and Wayne Rooney. He’s also working with a club culture damaged by two decades of detached ownership seemingly more interested in profit-making not team-building.
But he should also care that all around him people are losing their jobs at the club partly because of failures on the football side in poor recruitment and results. He should care that people are talking about two Uniteds going in different directions. Eddie Howe is far further into his team-building but the past four months have seen the pairs diverge. When Newcastle lost 4-2 at Brentford on December 7, they were 12th with 20 points after 15 games – a place and a point above United. Fast forward 16 games. Newcastle are on 56 points and sit fourth, 10 places and 18 points above United. I was there at St James’ Park yesterday. The contrast between the togetherness and optimism around Newcastle and the disunity and dismay around United was palpable.
Amorim is a good head coach who deserves patience and the funds to rebuild the squad but he shouldn’t have tried to impose a whole new system in the middle of the season. He should have waited until pre-season. He shouldn’t risk Christian Eriksen in a midfield battle demanding pace.
United struggling is distressing to many people. Amorim should care that people who care about Manchester United are hurting.
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Vitor Pereira has given Wolves their bite back. He’s won 10 and drawn three of his 19 games. The 56-year-old Portuguese has triumphed in the last four, ending any relegation fears. His tactical tweaks have played a part but really it is Pereira’s man-management that has transformed Wolves. The players clearly like and respect him. Jorgen Strand Larsen and Andre are really showing their best under him. Pereira’s handled the difficult Matheus Cunha well. The moody Brazilian has scored seven times in his last eight. Wolves fans love Pereira, who has now twice been for a drink with them in a local Wetherspoons, The Moon Under Water. “First the points, then the pints,” is a mission statement of Pereira’s lapped up by Wolves fans. Drink it in: a manager who delivers and enjoys life. The Portugeezer.
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Josh Cullen is such an important cog in Burnley’s Championship machine. The 29-year-old midfielder deserves more praise. His work-rate is exemplary and he can certainly deliver a pass. Against Norwich City on Friday night, Cullen completed 99% of his passes, including that gem down the pass down the inside-left channel for Hannibal’s well-taken goal. He was booked after 35 minutes but Scott Parker trusted Cullen to see out the game. “I’d trust him with my life at the moment,” Parker told the Burnley Express. Having played himself so successfully in the maelstrom of central midfield, Parker knows. Praise indeed.
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Donyell Malen is the third of Aston Villa’s three January musketeers who really deserves more credit. Loan raiders Marco Asensio and Marcus Rashford have generated more headlines but Malen is proving a particularly smart signing. He cost only £19.4m from Borussia Dortmund, a good deal for a 26-year-old established international (42 caps with the Netherlands). Malen offers pace, touch and a good finish. It helps coming on in second halves against tiring defences, but he’s certainly delivering. Malen’s scored in three successive games, two of them from the bench. His arrival allows Morgan Rogers to move centrally, where he is more effective.
Villa could register only three players for Europe in January. Frustratingly, Malen was effectively omitted to accommodate a defender in Axel Disasi (as Unai Emery wanted Rashford and Asensio available). Malen’s domestic impact, and his goal threat and greater consistency, may place a doubt over the future of Leon Bailey (two goals in 36).
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There have been some special free-kicks scored at Wembley down the decades. Stuart Pearce, Paul Gascoigne, Charlie Adam, David Bentley and Reece James spring immediately to mind. Now step forward Harley Mills. The Peterborough United full-back certainly stepped forward and hammered a left-footed free-kick from right to left into the Birmingham City net in the Virtu Trophy final at Wembley yesterday. Mills’ despatch made a mockery of the Birmingham wall. And made light of his own in experience. Mills is still only 19 and playing only his 15th professional game. But what a game. And what a performance. Not only the opening goal in Peterborough’s win but playing a part in their second. His whole 90-minute shift at Wembley confirmed his potential. Mills is yet another astute recruit by Posh (from Aston Villa’s youth system in 2021). If/when Mills moves on, Posh fans will never forget that free-kick.
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Make a mistake, recover, score last-ditch winner, sign two-year extension, lift trophy. Virgil van Dijk’s April is coming more into focus.
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Enjoy the week.
Conversations with my son aged 31 and my father age 93, and between us we have 150 years of watching Burnley, both ended on the same note as to promotion – “ it’s Burnley you know something will go wrong“.
So Henry, please don’t tempt fate by praising any of our players or manager until we’ve won our next two games!
Your summary of the Amorim & United predicament is spot on. It was apparent from early on that he didn’t have the players for his preferred system.
What has ensued since then has been nothing short of hubris. I’m concerned it may have an adverse impact rolling over to next season.
A player like Garnacho, statistically was better off than Ronaldo at the same stages in their careers, now looks devoid of confidence and less effective in Amorim’s system.
3-4-2-1 can work, but it will require a complete overhaul of the squad, plus the style will most likely be similar to LVG’s style. Personally & selfishly, I would like to see United play enterprising, fast football.
What the predicament suggests is Ineos never actually had a plan. All the talk of ‘club game models’ clearly wasn’t true when they brought in a coach who plays a completely different formation to what was previously being built.
People will say 4-2-3-1 wasn’t working, but the situation was more nuanced than this - a coach who had too much influence on recruitment who primarily scoured the Dutch league for talent, and had a fundamental gap in his man management. I believe those were the more fundamental issues than the system.