What are Rubén Amorim's tactics and playing style? Incoming Manchester United manager line-up, expected XI and stats
Rubén Amorim will become the new manager of Manchester United and could even be benched this weekend.
He Sporting Lisbon the coach has Personal conditions verbally agreed with the Red Devils. to succeed in fired Erik ten Hag.
United have informed Sporting that they will pay the €10m (£8.3m) release clause in Amorim's contract to bring him to Old Trafford.
Ruud van Nistelrooy He is currently in interim charge but talkSPORT understands The club hopes to have its new man to face Chelsea. However, talkSPORT also understands that Sporting expect him to take charge of their Primeira Liga clash against Estrela da Amadora on Friday night.
Amorim, who will triple his current salary of £2.15m a year, has long been linked with the idea of bringing his brand of football to England.
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He has earned a reputation as one of Europe's best coaches after guiding Sporting to two league titles in four years.
The former Portugal international was linked with West Ham vacancy during the summer and traveled to London to talk.
He ultimately rejected the Hammers' offer and apologized to Sporting fans for agreeing to the meeting.
Amorim was considered by Liverpool, Barcelona, Bayern Munichand Juventus but in the end all the clubs decided to go in different directions.
The 39-year-old man had He has also been identified as a potential successor to Pep Guardiola. in city of manchesterSo what can United fans expect?
Amorim: a brief history
Amorim spent a brief period training at Casa Pia, then a third division club in Portuguese football, after his retirement from football.
He was named Braga's reserve manager in September 2019, but handed over the reins to the first team within four months.
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His start to managerial life at the highest level in January 2020 began with a 7-1 defeat over Belenenses and a trophy soon followed.
Before the end of the month, he had overseen victory in the League Cup final Port and soon he moved on and achieved victories against the rest of 'Os Tres Grandes', the big three.
This included Braga's first away win Benfica in 65 years after a goal from Bayern Munich and former Fulham star Joao Palhinha.
The rest of Portugal's big three had seen enough: Sporting shelled out the third-highest transfer fee for a manager in history, spending €10m (£8.3m) for his services that summer.
Despite his inexperience, Amorim soon rewarded that faith by winning the club's first league title in 19 years.
Sporting were crowned champions again in the 2023/24 campaign, and Amorim also won two Taca da Liga titles.
He currently has the club in first place in the Portuguese top flight so far this season thanks to a 100 per cent record in nine games.
Sporting are also eighth in the Champions League stage standings with two wins and a draw in their first three games.
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Playing style and tactics.
The Portuguese coach has a clear preference for a 3-4-3 formation, focused on high pressing and possession.
Amorim normally attacks in a 3-2-5 shape and then defends as a 5-2-3, radically different to United's system under Ten Hag.
His absolute commitment to his playing philosophy apparently it was among the reasons proposed talks with Liverpool broke.
Amorim oversees possession-based attacking football, but there is also a pragmatism to his tactics that focuses on defensive structure.
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United often lined up in a 4-2-3-1 under Ten Hag, but criticism persisted that there was no clear style of football on display.
By contrast, Amorim have adapted their 3-4-3 formation so that each player has clearly defined roles in and out of possession.
Ironically, he used a back three for the first time in his third game as coach at Casa Pia, having lost the first two.
The change of system brought him instant success and it has since been his favorite setup at Braga and then at Sporting.
Amorim teams tend to be flexible between playing in a low block (a compact defensive shape focused on protecting the space near the goal) and pressing aggressively when out of possession.
What is most consistent is that in their 3-4-3 formation, the attacking full-backs are key in all thirds of the field.
Amorim has used two defensive midfielders to cover their full-backs, who push high up the pitch and stay wide to form a 3-4-2-1.
This also allows their two attacking midfielders to get into pockets behind a lone striker while continuing to stretch the opponent's backline.
The proximity of his teammates in and around the center forward also allows Sporting to go direct, with passes to Viktor Gyokeres.
The latter then holds him up high before letting him out, and the position of the high full-backs also leads to regular changes of play.
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How could this work for Man United?
Amorim is known for defending youth and can implement the high-pressure, possession-based style of football that INEOS is looking for.
Like Ten Hag, his goal is for his goalkeeper to be active in the preparation phase, with André Onana's ability on the ball being vital.
In possession of a goal kick, the central defender of Amorim's three defenders will join the midfield line at the tip of a diamond.
That three-man midfield creates better passing angles so Onana and the two remaining defenders can move the ball and advance.
Their starting three defenders would likely consist of Matthijs de LigtLisandro Martínez and leny yoro – with Harry Maguire I also feel comfortable using that system with the latter currently injured.
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Manuel Ugarte He flourished with Amorim at Sporting and will enjoy returning to his role as a defensive shield for a double pivot.
The Uruguayan will be accompanied by one of Kobbie Mainoo either Christian Eriksen to provide creativity in possession.
On paper, Amorim's system doesn't work with a number 10, but his compatriot Bruno Fernandes would probably start on the right.
But, as mentioned, the key to Fernandes dropping into central areas behind Rasmus Hojlund They will be the overlapping sides.
Diogo Dalot or Noussair Mazraoui will compete for that position, with Alejandro Garnacho competing with Mark Rashford in the last third.
