The manager, or as some may vehemently assert, head coach, of Manchester United Football Club is a lonely figure, as Ruben Amorim has quickly discovered.
Historically, a progression of that loneliness is binary, and not a continuum. It can graduate to the embrace of unparalleled love and celebration, as it did for that great man from Govan who graced Old Trafford for 27 years after steering Aberdeen to historical success.
Conversely, it can also graduate to the manager’s exit, as has been the case in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era until the advent of Sporting’s favourite son.
Our Portuguese tactician is charismatic, intelligent and promising. But what will it take for this charming and fiercely determined individual to stem the procession of managerial exits in the post-Ferguson era?
Managers live and die by their transfer market success: Or do they?
Manchester United became the first to win English football’s top honour for the historic 20th time in 2012-13. Undeniably, the Premier League is the pinnacle of many measures of success and the benchmark for the modern era.
David Moyes entered as the “Chosen One” in 2013, inheriting a veteran Premier League-winning squad and adding the majestic Juan Mata. Yet, he did not last a full season.
For clarity, three out of the twelve seasons that followed witnessed managerial transitions midseason: Jose Mourinho to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Solskjaer to Rangnick, and Erik ten Hag to Amorim.
Louis van Gaal arrived with a formidable CV, and Angel di Maria was among the prolific names he acquired. Alongside Ander Herrera, Memphis Depay, Luke Shaw, and Anthony Martial, the former Barcelona chief assembled a promising squad.
Notably, he also promoted one of the most beloved academy graduates in recent times to the first team with the introduction of Marcus Rashford. Barring Di Maria, everyone remained when Van Gaal made way for Mourinho.
The special one took prolific signings a notch higher with the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Nemanja Matic, Paul Pogba, Romelu Lukaku, and Alexis Sanchez.
Furthermore, in promoting Scott McTominay, Mourinho gifted Old Trafford someone who upheld the spirit of wearing the Manchester United red and white in an exemplary manner.
Two and a half years into the job, poor results and fallout with players were among the reasons that led to Mourinho vacating the hot seat.
One of our North West darlings, Solskjaer, succeeded the legendary Portuguese chief. In response, United acquired Bruno Fernandes, Harry Maguire, Jadon Sancho, and saw a promising Mason Greenwood flourish under the able tutelage of Edison Cavani.
All of those players and more were still at the club during that teary-eyed exit interview following a crushing, humbling away at Vicarage Road.
Lisandro Martinez, Casemiro, Antony, Matthijs de Ligt, and Mason Mount represent some of the marquee name signings during Ten Hag’s reign that followed.
The astute Dutch tactician guided youngsters Rasmus Hojlund, Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo to deliver at the highest level.
He would eventually graduate as the most recent casualty of that lonely managerial position. Truthfully, there will always be the arguments of who else was not signed, or how the style of play was less suited for the ‘professionals’, alongside innumerable injuries, and more.
The outcomes further underpin the complexities of a Manchester United manager.
Outcomes matter, and reasons matter selectively
There is an interesting pattern from Van Gaal to Ten Hag when analysing the relatively successful seasons against the exit of each.
As you see from the table below, the drop in the numbers during each respective season is evident.
There is a notable decline in performance metrics despite retaining the same manager and squad. Ole’s Reds accomplished the highest goals scored in a Premier League season since Sir Alex’s retirement (73 goals in 2020-21) in his second full season.
Louis, Jose, and Erik all won silverware for United. Additionally, some players had standout performances.
Wayne Rooney, unsurprisingly, excelled during both of Van Gaal’s years, while Ibrahimovic, Lukaku, and Pogba did well during Mourinho’s relatively successful period.
After Rashford and Martial impressed during Ole’s first full season, Bruno Fernandes arrived. Starting from his very first season in 2020-21, the Portuguese has consistently ranked among the top two contributors for goals and assists for five consecutive seasons.
The ones alongside Bruno to complete the top two contributors for a season include, among others, a young Hojlund in his debut showing in 2023-24.
In an outcome-driven environment, that harsh decisiveness towards managers is an outlier in the face of other perceptibly obvious reasons that coexist for United’s poor performance in the Premier League.
The business principles of agency, human behaviour, and football
In business, the principle of agency entails two parties. The principal, who needs a task to be accomplished, and the agent, who accomplishes that task.
There is a contract that binds the principal and the agent. Football clubs function as principals. They have two broad sets of agents for accomplishing a task: winning football matches – the players and the manager, respectively.
The segregation of tasks: winning matches between agents is not possible. Further, there is no contractual binding between the players and the manager.
From Robson and Hughes, to Keane, Giggs, and Beckham, to Rooney and Carrick, a lack of contract between any of them and Sir Alex never mattered. The insatiable hunger for winning football matches ensured that both agents, the manager and the players, were aligned.
For United, such alignment has changed for the worse in the post-Ferguson era.
The Stretford End faithful shower their love unconditionally for every United player. The celebratory chants for returning former Reds, be it Beckham, Ronaldo, or Welbeck, are among the manifestations of that authentic and deep affection.
It therefore warrants dignified restraint in mentioning players who placed their preferences and egos before collaborating with the manager to win football matches.
Nonetheless, the impacts of dressing room dynamics and discord cannot be ignored. It’s never the case of an entire squad being in disagreement with a manager. However, the misplaced egos and poor decision-making of some players influence the behaviour of others.
As a result, one group of agents, players, progressively drifts away from the other agent, the manager. And the principal, Manchester United Football Club, suffers time and time again.
What can help Amorim? Goals, cohesiveness, and empowerment
Amorim needs to instil belief in his squad. The hours and drills in training must help his players to play free-flowing, courageous, and creative football on matchdays that result in goals.
All professionals need mentors and catalysts. Ruben must excel in both capacities, and the performance yardstick is goals. There are many lessons learnt in the post-Ferguson era. Painfully so for a season that culminated in a historical low of a fifteenth-place finish.
Undeniably, Ruben Amorim and his support staff must leverage every lesson learnt towards building cohesiveness. A commonality in objective, a sworn code to win for United ahead of everything else.
The preseason must be the breeding ground for laying the foundations for sustained cohesiveness. Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Omar Berrada, and the hierarchy must empower Amorim in every way possible.
Why? In an environment where there is no one way of getting to an outcome, there must be one person who steers the way. Else, the chaos that is the procession of managerial exits at United will continue. That’s why.
Like his predecessors, metaphorical loneliness accompanies Amorim. He needs all the help and support that can be extended to graduate to that sustained embrace of unparalleled love and celebration.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments or across our social channels.
Photo by operations@newsimages.co.uk via depositphotos.com
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