Ange Postecoglou’s comments will only deepen the pain of Ruben Amorim’s time at Man Utd, with that Europa League final loss to Spurs still the turning point.
There were other poor results too, like the Carabao Cup exit to Grimsby and a frustrating home loss to ten-man Everton. But it was that final defeat against Spurs that really marked a shift in direction for United.
With fewer matches on the schedule, there were no opportunities for academy players like Kobbie Mainoo to break through. The budget took a hit as well, limiting what could be done in the January window and giving everyone more time to stew over dropped points.
Postecoglou’s Spurs easily defeated Amorim’s team that day, demonstrating how vulnerable the opponent was to the Australian’s tactics.
Ange Postecoglou did not hold back when asked about Ruben Amorim’s tactics
On paper, Spurs vs Man Utd in a tournament final looked about as straightforward as it could get for a club with United’s history.
One side had no track record of winning major trophies, while the other, even at their lowest points, always managed to find a way to deliver in big matches. But the way things played out that day was genuinely surprising.
Spurs took a very practical approach and completely shut down United, who seemed to run out of ideas. Postecoglou later admitted on The Overlap that this was exactly what he had planned.
“I had six or seven defenders at the edge of our box at one stage. I knew if we shut down Bruno, they weren’t going to score. I just felt with United, the way they set up with Ruben and how they would try to break us down, [they wouldn’t score]. We were really solid defensively as long as we scored,” he stated.
Postecoglou’s remarks lined up with what many fans came to realise afterwards: Amorim did not seem to have an alternative plan. Everything relied on getting the ball to Bruno Fernandes and hoping he could create something out of nothing.
Ruben Amorim’s lack of flexibility ultimately cost him at Man Utd
There were warning signs as far back as the Europa League final, but Amorim’s communication skills helped mask the underlying issues for a while.
It became clear over time that the problems ran deeper, with his inflexibility contributing to some of the worst results in recent club history.
The defeats to Grimsby and Everton were just part of a larger pattern. Amorim struggled to adapt when his preferred approach was not working, sticking too often to the same methods.
When opponents handed control over to United, the approach often boiled down to relying on Fernandes’ creative skills.
Postecoglou saw it coming before most, and it was a key factor in why Amorim eventually lost his job.
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