Ruben Amorim has conceded he will depart Manchester United if the general belief is that he’s not cut out for the job.
To restore the 20-time champions to their former glories looks to be more of an excruciatingly complicated task by the year. Now, with one Premier League game left to play, the Reds have suffered 20 defeats across all competitions; their most in a single season since they lost 22 times in 1973-74, which culminated with them being relegated (BBC Sport).
Amorim’s system simply has not worked by any stretch in the six months he’s been at the helm. For a long time, fans were keen to grant him the benefit of the doubt due to the lack of signings he’d been granted in his first window.
Supporters wanted to see how he’d be backed in the summer and how the side subsequently fared when 2025/2026 got underway before the board made any rash decisions over his future. It begs the question as to whether that stance is maintained following such a dismal display in Bilbao.
The Europa League final: how it played out
United fell to a 1-0 defeat in the Europa League final to gift Tottenham Hotspur their first major trophy in 17 years, doing so without even putting up a fight for the thousands of Reds who’d made the trip to Spain without tickets or accommodation to simply be there to rally behind their team.
Spurs registered a single shot on target in their three attempts on Andre Onana’s goal, and it proved more than enough to get the job done. Meanwhile, United had 16 shots – six of which were on target – and held 73 per cent possession, making 512 passes. To be so dominant and still produce absolutely nothing of quality is a feat in itself.
Ruben Amorim reacts to 17th loss as United boss
We can only speculate where on earth the club goes from here. The failure to qualify for European football, finishing just above the relegation zone, and a lack of funds through a victory tonight would deter any ambitious player from making the move to Old Trafford.
“If the board or fans feel that I’m not the right guy, I will go the next day without any conversation about compensation,” said Amorim to reporters at full-time.
“I was always really honest with you guys. We did not perform well today, but we were better than the opponent. In the second half, we tried everything with the centre defenders players wide, crosses, going inside the box.
“I think today was not the day. We were not perfect, we have a lot to improve, but I am always honest with you guys.”
The loss was predictable after the first 20 minutes. United looked slow and unsure. Spurs knew exactly what they wanted to do (though executed amateurishly in attack); they pressed and defended well. The goal may have been lucky but Spurs looked more likely to score. Despite having 73% possession, United didn’t control the game and were forced wide or to use speculative (and fairly tame) balls into the box with only Amad offering something until late in the game when Garnacho and Zirkzee came on.
Mount worked hard but lacked bite (again). Hojlund, as always, reacted too slowly, missing or mis-timing runs. Both should have been subbed much earlier. Bruno and Casemiro both looked tentative and turned over possession too many times. There was far too much passing around the back (hence the high possession) while the attack looked static. The back line, midfield and attack looked disconnected from each other. Fans have seen this show before: United’s old bad habits.
That Amorim didn’t see, until very late, what many fans and most commenators saw much earlier raises questions. However, I think Amorim deserves more time. The odds have been stacked against him this season. United’s main weaknesses have been in the final third and at least one (Cunha) and I hope two (Delap? Mbuemo? …) signings will make a considerable difference there. But the midfield isn’t as good as it could be, either.
A season without Europe may work in Unit’s favour in the long run – more training time, fewer injuries – perhaps Amorim’s system will finally sink in and the team will ‘click’. We can only hope.
A small part of me wants to believe that players and coaching staff are playing ‘4D chess’ here: underperforming in order to force the Glazers to sell. Sigh. But that can’t be true. I see the look on the players’ faces – they’re giving their all – but, collectively, it’s not good enough.
If that is the players giving their all we are screwed. If the system hasn’t sunk in by now it never will. They are supposed to be professionals so should be able to understand one system. Fergie used to change the system depending on the game and no one complained about not knowing the system. We need a big overhaul of players. Bring in the youth team.
Yeah: things looking messy, seems the old, old problem of short-term thinking still exists. Wayne Rooney has voiced the concern of many of us that the youngsters aren’t playing in Amorim’s favourite formation, which is a puzzle. Are they going to struggle when they reach the first team, or will they be able to adapt and it’s just the current muppets who can’t get their heads round it? As you say, they’ve had long enough now regardless of the fact Amorim joined after the season began. Ah well, one more home defeat to come and we can say goodbye to this lousy, lousy season. The only way is up??