Following Manchester United’s 3-1 loss to Brentford, Joe Cole believes that there is a ‘perfect’ manager replacement currently on the market should Ruben Amorim be sacked.
Rúben Amorim recalled Matheus Cunha to Manchester United’s starting XI for their trip to Brentford in the first fixture of the Premier League’s final September weekend.
United looked sharp in the early exchanges, but Brentford landed the opening blow. Igor Thiago broke clear of Amorim’s offside trap to slot past Altay Bayındır in the 9th minute, before striking again 10 minutes later to give the hosts a two-goal cushion.
Benjamin Šeško halved the deficit with a scrappy finish, yet United were unable to level the match before the break.
The second half remained cagey until Amorim introduced Kobbie Mainoo and Leny Yoro just past the hour mark. Soon after, Brentford earned a penalty through Bryan Mbeumo, but Bruno Fernandes’ spot-kick was saved following a lengthy delay in its awarding.
United pushed for a late comeback with further attacking changes, but Brentford’s resistance held firm. Deep into stoppage time, Mathias Jensen’s emphatic strike secured a 3-1 victory for the home side.
Joe Cole believes Gareth Southgate is the right man for the job
Amorim’s stubbornness when refusing to change his tactics when they are obviously not working has been criticised as United continue to look as if they don’t fully understand their roles in the 3-4-2-1 set-up.
Speaking on TNT Sports after the game, Joe Cole reflected on the initial reception to Amorim taking over at Old Trafford and gave his opinion on who should have replaced Erik ten Hag last November.
“He [Amorim] was the bright young spark, people were talking about him like he was the messiah coming into Manchester United and would sort everything out. That’s how high his stock was when he left Lisbon.
“So, he’s clearly a good manager as well, but the mix and the blend of the whole situation, I think it needs a culture change. I thought Gareth Southgate was the perfect man for the job at the state it was in terms of building culture, understanding the club, understanding the league, understanding the players, working with Jim Ratcliffe and people like that, and they went with Amorim, and it doesn’t look like it’s working.”
It’s understandable to see where Cole is coming from when suggesting Gareth Southgate as the man for the job. His eight-year stint in charge of the national side restored a positive feeling in the England camp, breaking down the ‘club cliques’ that always plagued the side, bringing the side more together than ever.
It has been clear that the morale within the United squad has been on the decline for several years now, and despite not managing in the Premier League for almost 20 years now, Southgate could be a positive influence on the side.
Amorim needs to change his midfield setup
While it’s true that United’s players have made several avoidable errors that can’t be blamed on the manager, Amorim also has to take some share of the blame owing to his lack of willingness to change his tactics when they’re clearly not working.
He needs to get his best players playing to the best of their abilities, and one man who currently is being misused is the club captain, Fernandes, who has featured in the two-man midfield pivot that Amorim is determined to use.
The problem with Fernandes is that, while being arguably one of the best No.10s in Europe, his fantastic attacking ability does not translate well when playing deeper in centre-midfield as a No.8.
Fernandes’ poor defensive abilities have cost the side two goals this season, losing Phil Foden for Man City’s opener in the derby, and failing to track Emile Smith Rowe for Fulham’s equaliser.
If the Portuguese midfielder was allowed to thrive in his preferred position further up the field, it could allow for Mainoo, who has been severely underused so far this season, to establish himself in the pivot.
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