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From Cristiano Ronaldo to Nani to Bruno Fernandes, the road from the Estádio José Alvalade to Old Trafford has been a well-trodden path, one that resulted in plenty of goals and victories for Manchester United and lucrative profits for Sporting. The latest Portuguese to make the move is not a player, but a coach: Rúben Amorim.
🟢 Beginnings at Sporting
Five weeks after selling Fernandes to United for an initial €55 million, Sporting appointed Rúben Amorim as their new manager, a decision that provoked skepticism and incredulity in the club’s fanbase. Not only had Amorim spent the majority of his playing career at their archrivals Benfica, but he only had two months of top-flight managerial experience.
He took charge of a Sporting side that had been marred by chronic underperformance and a toxic environment, which reached a boiling point in May 2018 as 50 hooded fans broke into the club’s training facility and brutally assaulted players and staff. Two months after the attacks, Amorim began his coaching career at Casa Pia. After losing the first two matches, he announced that if he lost the next game, he’d quit. He switched to a back three and immediately reaped the rewards, winning the next eight matches, but his progress was halted in January 2019 when he was suspended from all activity for a year after being ruled to not have the required coaching level to give in-game instructions. He resigned in the aftermath and returned to coaching eight months later, taking the reins at Braga B and winning seven out of eight.
After two jobs in the Portuguese third tier, Amorim was entrusted with his first top-flight job and took charge of Braga, who sat eighth in the table. Within two months, Amorim had won 10 out of 13 matches, led the Minhotos to third place, and guided them to their first trophy in four years and their first win at Benfica in 65 years. It was enough for Sporting to empty their pockets and make him the second-most expensive manager of all time, paying €14.4 million for his services. Little did he know it, but he would soon make that fee look like a bargain.
Amorim ended a 19-year title drought in his first full season in charge, putting a stop to Benfica and Porto’s duopoly and reminding the world why Sporting is one of the “Três Grandes” of Portuguese football, whilst his second season would see Sporting return to the Champions League knockout round after 13 years. After losing key players like João Palhinha and Matheus Nunes, Sporting regressed from second to a fourth-place finish in 2022/23, but they would quickly bounce back thanks in large part to the arrival of Swedish striker Viktor Gyökeres, who scored 43 goals in all competitions. Sporting achieved a club record 90 points and 29 wins and claimed the league title with two games to spare. It’s been more of the same from them this season – they’ve won all nine league matches, scored 30 goals, and conceded twice. And yet, rather than pursue Sporting’s first successful league title defense in 71 years, Amorim has made the move to Manchester United on a contract through June 2027, replacing Erik ten Hag at the helm.
Amorim’s first match in charge of Sporting saw them beat Aves 2-0, whilst his second match came three months later in a 2-2 draw at Vitória. Whilst Amorim likely won’t be having to deal with a global pandemic at United, he will be taking charge of an ailing club that has been severely weakened by years of poor decision-making and failed big-money signings, and that currently finds itself in 13th place.
🔎 Amorim’s Tactical Setup
We’ve talked about his background, but what about Amorim’s tactical setup? The Portuguese tactician has favored a 3-4-2-1 formation, with one wingback (Nuno Santos) tasked with bombing forward and overlapping in a more traditional role, whilst the other (Geny Catamo / Geovany Quenda) is a converted winger who has the license to cut inside and combine in the final third. His style is predicated upon vertical passing from the center backs, who are encouraged to push forward, maintain a high line and congest the opponent into a smaller area.
This will switch to a 5-4-1 out of possession, with the wide players forced to diligently track back and maintain the compact shape of the rest defense. The midfield double pivot joins the front three to form a quintet of players who will actively look to close down the opposition and immediately regain possession after losing it.
🔴 Tactical Implementation at Man United
Amorim’s appointment could very well be a blessing for Manuel Ugarte, who has looked like a fish out of water at both Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United over the past year. The Uruguayan thrived in a midfield destroyer role at Sporting, capable of eating up space and putting in a last-ditch intervention to prevent a deadly transition, and he should be capable of forming a solid midfield partnership with Kobbie Mainoo.
However, it’s the defensive unit where things start to get tricky, specifically, the wingbacks. Manchester United’s squad features two traditional fullbacks who are proficient at inverting (Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui) and two attack-minded fullbacks who have grown more accustomed to time on the treatment table than on the pitch (Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia). Amorim could be inclined to use Dalot or Mazraoui on one flank and experiment with a winger like Amad Diallo, Antony, or Alejandro Garnacho on the other, but it seems that at least a wingback could be in order for the January transfer window.
👕 Potential Man United Starting XI Under Ruben Amorim
Amorim’s system is centered upon an incessant press and an aggressive high line that leaves acres of space in behind, and it could very well see Leny Yoro fast-tracked into the side upon his return. The French teenager has not featured in an official match since arriving from Lille in the summer due to a broken metatarsal, but his aerial prowess, ability to cover large distances, and physical maturity make him a perfect fit in the right side of Sporting’s back three. Lisandro Martinez should also find an easier go of it in the left side of back three, capable of bursting forward, turning out of pressure and weaving together passes from an advanced area.
United have not used a back three since the start of Louis van Gaal’s reign in 2014, and the switch could prove costly for Matthijs de Ligt. The Dutchman looked out of place in Bayern’s move to a back three last season, and his struggles on the ball even saw Ronald Koeman drop him from the Netherlands team after just one match in the 2022 World Cup. Someone like Harry Maguire, who actually has experienced playing as a ‘libero’, may very well benefit from the transition and revive his United career in the process. However, one thing’s for sure: Amorim has his work cut out for him as he looks to revitalize a defense that conceded the second-most shots (667) in Europe’s top 5 leagues.
As far as attack goes, Rasmus Hojlund could benefit tremendously from the appointment. Amorim built his team around Viktor Gyokeres, a player who thrived at running the channels, getting on the end of through balls, and whose physicality and predatory movement made him into the top scorer in Europe. In Hojlund, he has yet another up-and-coming Scandinavian striker whose attributes could very well fit his tactics like a grove. Hojlund has often looked starved of opportunities and bereft of confidence with just one goal in his last six, but he is more than capable of getting his United career up and running under the tutelage of Amorim.
Moving onto the two attacking midfielders, these players are expected to help drive the team forward, dribble into dangerous areas, and keep the opponent guessing with piercing runs into the final third. Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford likely will be picked at first due to their seniority, but if they neglect to do their job in terms of leading the press and get back on defense, Amorim will waste no time in dropping them and giving a chance to someone like Mason Mount or Joshua Zirkzee.
📊 New Man United Betting Angles
As mentioned previously, Rasmus Hojlund should benefit massively from the arrival of Amorim. Joshua Zirkzee’s self-confessed role as a ‘9.5’ seems to be a wash and the Dutchman looks like his style will not be suitable for Premier League football, making Hojlund the sole senior out-and-out striker at the club. It’s highly unlikely he’ll be matching Viktor Gyokeres in terms of SOT number given the higher quality in the Premier League, but the Dane is scraping 1 shot on target per 90 in the Premier League this season. Expect these numbers to rise with more structure built around Hojlund, and look to take advantage of his potential mispricing by the bookmakers in Amorim’s early games in charge for a shot on target.
The wing-backs are also an interesting angle. Noussair Mazraoui has been a relative success for United since signing from Bayern, and the Morrocan could be a decent angle in the fouls and card market with more impetus on him to press in this three-at-the-back structure. Currently averaging 1.32 fouls P90, this number could see a steady increase to match that of Maximiliano Araújo (wing-back at Sporting), who is averaging almost 2 fouls P90 (1.89).
Despite his relatively poor form, Marcus Rashford is sure to play a key role for Amorim, but his off-the-ball work will have to increase. The England international currently averages only 0.60 fouls P90, and this will no doubt increase in a more structured and relentless press. Pedro Gonçalves occupies this role for Sporting, and his average sits at around 0.94 fouls P90. Depending on the opposition, looking into Rashford fouls could be a potential angle in the bookmakers’ early pricing mismatch.
💭 Conclusion
Just like at his former job, Amorim has arrived at a club whose managerial role has been a poisoned chalice – apart from Jorge Jesus (2015-2018), no Sporting manager in the previous decade had lasted over a year at the helm when Amorim took charge. As for United, none of the 10 (including interims) managers in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era have reached the three-year mark or delivered their first league title since 2012/13. Amorim has already taken Sporting from also-rans to all-conquering champions and put an end to their title drought – can he do the same at Manchester United?
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