Last Chance Looms for Amorim | OneFootball

Manchester United host Sunderland this weekend, in what may well be Ruben Amorim’s final chance to demonstrate that he is not out of his depth in the Old Trafford dugout.

Point of No Return?

The Portuguese coach may already be past the point of no return with the Red Devils. If he has any hope of turning things around then change must begin now.

After winning against Chelsea a week prior, United succumbed to defeat at Brentford last weekend. This means Amorim has still not recorded back-to-back league wins after nearly 11 months in charge.

“It’s normal, we cannot run away from results,” the coach said when faced with ever-growing criticism from former United players.

Stubborn System

The manager has persisted with his 3-4-3 system to levels that have at times bordered of delusion. “The way we concede goals, create chances, that is nothing to do with the system, that is my opinion,” he again reiterated ahead of this weekend’s match.

Amorim has made it clear that he will live and die by his system, with the latter seeming ever more likely as weeks progress.

The October international break is a popular time to chop and change managers, as seen with Amorim’s predecessor Erik ten Hag. The Dutchman was given the boot a little less than a year ago and his Portuguese replacement is now on course to meet the same fate.

Not Good Enough

Manchester United’s Last Ten Results. Source: Sofascore

Lacklustre performances and results have characterised Amorim’s ten months in charge, in which he has racked up a number of undesirable records.

His league win rate of 27.3% lands him rock bottom out of United’s managers in the Premier League era, and by some distance. David Moyes famously failed at Old Trafford but still maintained a 50% win rate. Ten Hag was sacked despite holding a 51.8% win rate. The next closest to Amorim’s abysmal numbers is Ralf Rangnick whose caretaker period ended with a 41.7% win rate – still close to double that of the current boss.

The board have persisted in publicly backing their man, but the whispers have begun behind the scenes. It has been suggested that the directors could wait until November to cut Amorim loose, due to a significant reduction in his compensation package being triggered after he reaches a year in charge.

Despite all of this Amorim has still, by and large, retained the support of United’s match going fans, who continue to sing his name in the stands. This will provide a glimmer of hope for the manager that an unlikely resurrection of his United career is feasible.

Black Cat to cross Amorim’s Path?

Next up for the Red Devils is the visit of Sunderland, whose Premier League return has started better than even their most optimistic of supporters would have expected. The Black Cats currently sit fifth, above the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea and of course United.

Their victories have admittedly come against out of form sides in the shape of West Ham, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest. Still, they will arrive at Old Trafford full of confidence and belief that they can take all three points and put the final nail in Amorim’s coffin.