Why Ruben Amorim should copy David Moyes and Ralf Rangnick not Sir Alex Ferguson at Man Utd at this time
Ruben Amorim will be looking to follow in the footsteps of David Moyes and Ralf Rangnick rather than Sir Alex Ferguson in his debut game as Manchester United manager on Sunday.
The 39-year-old will take charge of his first match against Ipswich Town after being appointed as the permanent successor to Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford. It remains to be seen how he will set up, but Amorim has already made some big decisions since arriving including getting rid of interim boss and club legend Ruud van Nistelrooy.
He clearly wants to start afresh and will be putting his own stamp on the famous job, with the Red Devils team expected to line up in a 3-4-3 formation that has brought the Portuguese manager great success at Sporting Lisbon in the past.
READ MORE: Ruben Amorim’s ‘grandpa’ coach at Man Utd ‘can’t say two sentences in English’
READ MORE: ‘I played for Sir Alex Ferguson’s Man Utd – I got fed up and now I’m a postman’
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Amorim takes over the Red Devils during a purple patch with the club unbeaten in their last four games – with three victories and one draw. While a trip to Portman Road might seem easy on paper, many of the players aren’t used to their new boss’ style so the pressure will be on.
While he may look to Sir Alex Ferguson’s long-term success when it comes to setting aspirations for his own tenure, Amorim will want to avoid emulating the legendary Scot this weekend. Fergie lost his opening game against 2-0 to Oxford United all the back in 1986 and won just one of his first six.
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Instead, Amorim can look to both Moyes and Rangnick who both won and kept clean sheets in their first game in the Old Trafford hotseat. Moyes might have inherited an ageing United side but they convincingly beat Wigan Athletic 2-0 in the 2013 Community Shield.
Unfortunately for the Scotsman, it wasn’t a sign of things to come with the former Everton manager lasting just 10 months before getting the boot. Rangnick meanwhile came in as the interim replacement for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. While his short time in charge ended on a sour note, his first match was a 1–0 victory over Crystal Palace nearly three years ago.
(Image: Manchester United via Getty Images)
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Ragnick arrived at Old Trafford in similar circumstances to Amorim – having just 48 hours to coach the team before his first game. He also managed to steady the ship and secure a top-four finish, something the new coach will also be aiming to achieve.
Solskjaer also got off to a great start, with a 5-1 away win against Cardiff City as part of a run that saw him remarkably win his first eight games in charge. But once he was made permanent manager, he then endured a tough trot and would ultimately get the sack despite a second place finish in 2020/21.
