Ruben Amorim’s tactical idealism meets Brentford away. Spoiler: Brentford wins.
Act I: The Philosopher Arrives
Ruben Amorim came to Manchester United preaching high pressing, positional play, and tactical purity. He was Guardiola without the sermons, Bielsa without the burnout, and Mourinho without the trauma bonding. For a brief moment, fans believed. Not in results—those were optional—but in identity. United had a system, a shape, a vibe.
Then came the results.
Act II: The Collapse
United just lost 3–1 to Brentford, Brentford, a side who have sold half their squad during the summer and many tipped for relegation, that Brentford. Not just on the scoreboard, but in spirit, structure, and self-respect. Amorim’s system didn’t bend; it shattered. The midfield was a ghost town. The press was a polite suggestion. Jordan Henderson looked like peak Andrea Pirlo. BBC’s player ratings resembled a crime scene report.
Amorim’s quote, “We’ll play my way,” now reads less like defiance and more like a suicide note in tactical jargon.
Act III: The Replacement Parade
ManchesterWorld wasted no time. They listed eight “realistic” options to replace Amorim, each one a rejection of his ideals:
Oliver Glasner: Pragmatic. Efficient. Would never let Brentford cook like Amorim did.
Andoni Iraola: Presses, but with adult supervision.
Gareth Southgate: Tactical NyQuil.
Julian Nagelsmann: Amorim with a LinkedIn account and a backup plan.
This isn’t a shortlist. It’s a full-on tactical reset. United hired a romantic. Now they want a divorce and a rebound manager who doesn’t believe in poetry.
Act IV: The Existential Question
Was it worth it? The tactical purity. The stubborn belief. The beautiful losses. Amorim made United feel like a football club again, briefly. But in the Premier League, beauty is a luxury. And Brentford is a reminder that ideals don’t survive away days.
Amorim didn’t fail because he was wrong. He failed because he refused to be boring.
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