Manchester United’s fans have not taken long to come up with a song for Ruben Amorim.
It is fairly simple, just two words. “Ruben Amorim, Amorim, Ruben Amorim” to the tune of KC and the Sunshine Band’s ‘Give it Up’.
It does the job and Amorim acknowledged the travelling supporters when they sung it to him after the final whistle of the 1-1 draw at Ipswich.
As Amorim dissected his first game as head coach with the media at Portman Road, it soon became apparent the song is about the only thing that is going to happen quickly at Old Trafford over the next few weeks.
Any United fan expecting a quick fix to the problems that blighted Erik ten Hag’s time at the club, leave them in the bottom half of the Premier League, is going to be disappointed.
According to Amorim, United are going to have to “suffer” as he implements his new ideas. Waiting, he says, would be totally counter-productive.
“I know it is frustrating for the fans but we are changing so much in this moment with a lot of games,” he said. “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 1732486784 and in the next year we will be better [otherwise] next year at the same stage we will be here with the same problems.”
Seeing another disappointing 90 minutes unfold, it would be easy to think nothing had changed from Ten Hag’s time in charge.
Despite their fast start, with Marcus Rashford scoring after just 81 seconds, United soon settled into a familiar pattern.
The visitors created chances they didn’t take but didn’t really impose themselves on the game and found themselves exposed far too easily when Ipswich countered.
By the end, United’s expected goals (xG) stood at 0.90, their third lowest of the season. Ipswich’s was 1.75, their highest of the season. The overall 102km distance run was United’s second lowest of the Premier League campaign so far.
An equaliser from the excellent Omari Hutchinson benefited from some good fortune as it flicked off Noussair Mazraoui’s head and over Andre Onana.
But had it not been for two stunning saves from Onana to deny Liam Delap either side of the leveller, Amorim’s much awaited bow would have ended in defeat.
“We could lose if it was not for Onana,” said Amorim. “He saved us two times at least.”
Former England midfielder Jamie Redknapp told Sky Sports: “It is what I expected, he doesn’t have a magic wand.
“The players who have let you down over the last year aren’t suddenly going to be different because Amorim has walked in. There are going to be a lot of changes in the next six months.”
Amorim looks the part.
He strode into Portman Road wearing a very big coat, which the much milder temperatures didn’t actually require.
There was a purpose about his manner. His pre-match hug with opposite number Kieran McKenna was cordial and nothing more.
And Rashford’s opener within two minutes was the perfect start. It wasn’t long though before Amorim was calling Diogo Dalot and Alejandro Garnacho over during a brief break in play to explain how he expected their combination to work.
Once that conversation was done, he explained what he wanted to Jonny Evans and Casemiro.
The term learning on the job could not be more apt.
“Did we really, from what we have seen this season, expect this to be a Manchester United team transformed?” questioned Chris Sutton on Radio 5 Live. “Ruben Amorim wants to change the style but the players have been away on international duty. It is impossible for him to just flick a switch.”
The style, as expected, featured three central defenders and wing backs. This is the “idea” Amorim told everyone they would see as soon as he started work.
The positions of Noussair Mazraoui and Amad were the surprises in terms of selection. Right-sided defender of a back three is Mazraoui’s fourth position of the season.
Amad is a winger but was deemed a better alternative than Alejandro Garnacho at wing-back, who was given a more forward role.
The Ivorian’s surging run and cross created Rashford’s goal and late in the game he was noticeably chasing back to retrieve a loose ball in the United box before Mazraoui urged him to get back upfield.
“In three days he has improved so much defensively,” said Amorim. “His opponent all the time was the left-back so it was just like a winger following him. It is easier because he just follows one guy and its man-to-man. He was so focused and did a great job.”
Amorim’s problem is simple. He has no time to work on his new style with his squad as a whole.
Until a six-day gap between the Premier League game with Newcastle on 30 December and a trip to Liverpool on 5 January, United do not have a spare midweek.
If they win at Tottenham in their EFL Cup quarter-final next month, the period of consecutive midweek games will extend into February.
It puts an added focus on gaining a top-eight spot – they are currently 15th – in the extended Europa League table.
Without that – and unless they fail to make it through to the knockout stage completely – it will be another two midweeks gone for the play-off round.
Amorim’s initial plan to get round this predicament is to make players who don’t play train properly the following day.
“We have to find time,” he said. “The only way to do it is if the guys who don’t play have training. The people on the bench have the feeling of the game but they need to train.
“With this schedule, we need to rotate. Some of the guys are going to play, some of the guys in the next day will work on our idea and then they will change their position.”
