That is quite a grim statement, until you read what Amorim said after. The full quote actually reads: -
"We are going to suffer for a long period. We will try to win games but this will take time. We have to risk it a little bit now and in the next year we will be better otherwise next year at the same stage we will be here with the same problems."
When people ask, why did Ten Hag lose his job at United, this quote right here should be the answer.
Why?
Ten Hag came to Man United with a way of playing, but unfortunately, the tools that he had at his disposal were not competent enough to implement his plan. And with the weight of expectation, the pressure of the fans and the media onslaught, he simply went into the dead space where all previous united managers go. He went into survival mode. Win at all costs and buy time.
In that regard, Amorim is such a breath of fresh air. He recognizes that despite needing time, he still has to find a way to win games, but without compromising on his footballing principles.
In the quote, he suggests risking it now so that when we go into the new season the team will not be making the same mistakes they are at the moment. I remember Ten Hag said something similar. Something along the lines of ‘I don’t want to teach my players one way of playing and then having to teach them something different later on.’ Since we already established Ten Hag lost his way, you have to wonder if at some point Amorim will feel the pressure to do the same to save his job?
It is difficult to judge Amorim by the events of the Ipswich game. I believe most of the fans realize that some of the players who started the match aren’t necessarily going to be starting perhaps as soon as this Thursday.
As soon as the line-up was announced, it was clear we were in for a long evening. The Casemiro/Eriksen midfield was a shocker for one. Then there was Evans as one of the 3 defenders. These three are the furthest you can get from what you would describe as an Amorim player. The mobility in midfield was non-existent. Johnny Evans was always hesitant to push up and mark Omari Hutchinson when they were out of position, which made it that Ipswich were able to find an open player and escape our high press.
Casemiro, just like Evans was hesitant to push up, and had to be coaxed into doing so by Amorim. On Eriksen, he simply a ghost. I couldn’t tell you if he even featured in the match.
But, to end this post on a positive note, Amad Diallo was exceptional. At the same time, I wholly expect Amorim came to the same conclusion I did. Amad needs to play as one of the 10’s in place of Garnacho and not out wide.
Controversially, let Antony have a go there.