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Even a boring and unremarkable draw doesn’t bring a day’s worth of minor drama. Manchester Unitedit seems.
This is for Leeds United in their quest to stay Premier League The pair gave up on their rivals’ pursuit of European football, but another story emerged from the Elland Road media room shortly after full-time that may have suggested all was not well behind the scenes at Old Trafford.
While the game lacked entertainment, Ruben Amorim’s bizarre press conference that followed provided a plot twist.
It was a scrappy and sloppy game that lasted 90 minutes without even the real blood and thunder feel that this game was often built on, ending in a draw after Matheus Cunha canceled out Brenden Aaronson’s second-half opener. It wasn’t until Amorim took center stage that the real spark came.
It was the final minutes of a media briefing that left more questions than answers. Cue a power struggle and doubts about his future? Or is this just a man under pressure once again fighting back against the outside noise surrounding his position at the club?
He walked out before any follow-up questions could come. This all comes after questions were raised during Friday’s pre-match media duties about his downbeat demeanor and whether his relationship with the board had changed.
“Guys, let’s leave it at that, I’ve noticed that you’re being selectively informed about everything,” Amorim said. “I came here to be a manager Manchester Unitedrather than becoming Manchester United’s coach.
“That’s clear. I know my name isn’t [Thomas] Tuchel, this is not [Antonio] Conte, this is not [Jose] Mourinho, but I am the manager of Manchester United.
“This will continue for 18 months or when the board decides to change. That’s my point. I want to end with this. I’m not resigning. I’m going to do my job until someone else comes here to replace me.”
Amorim was announced as head coach when he arrived in England 14 months ago, but here he keeps referring to himself as a “manager” with more responsibilities than just coaching the team. He laid out that point and then implored others, such as athletic director Jason Wilcox, to do their jobs, and he will have done his job in 18 months, when his current contract expires.
“I just want to say that I’m going to be the head coach of this team, not just the coach,” he added. “I’m very clear about it. It will be done in 18 months. Then everyone will move on. That’s the deal. It’s my job, not to be a coach.
“If people can’t deal with Gary Neville and the criticism of everything, we need to change the club.
“I just want to say that I came here to be a manager at Manchester United, not a coach. Every department, the scouting department, the sporting director, need to do their job. I will do my job for 18 months and then we move on.”
It appeared to be a rebuke of the controversial 3-4-2-1 formation he was told to change, and the questioning of the style of play by those above him in United’s sporting structure.
But it may also be a hint that he won’t consider extending his stay beyond his current contract. Whether this is his decision or not will depend on the results, and while his performance here wasn’t stellar, there is still room for improvement.
Amorim’s comments will only damage their season ambitions by sparking more debate in the afternoon, but, given their absence, it’s not really a day to watch until he speaks.
This game, along with Wednesday’s trip to Burnley, ends a run of fixtures that have been favorable to United. The point leaves them temporarily in fifth place, which may be enough to qualify for the Champions League, but with Manchester City and Arsenal arriving later this month, they could soon slip down the table.
On another day, if Benjamin Sesco had shown a more ruthless streak in front of goal to match his impressive build-up play, this could have been a huge win for them away from home.
On the other hand, if Manchester United goalkeeper Sene Lamenz hadn’t made a brilliant save to deny Noah Okafor’s wonderful overhead kick, this may very well have been the team’s sixth defeat. Premier League.
Cunha performed well to equalize in the 65th minute after a clever pass from Joshua Zirkzee.
The latter was introduced immediately after Aaronson scored three minutes earlier against a lax defense from United, who had been resolute until then.
Zirkzee’s cameo, Manuel Ugarte’s progress and Cunha’s persistence were among the few positives on the day for Amorim and United.
It should be noted that the absence of their main creator and captain Bruno Fernandes as well as the injured Mason Mount has left Brian Mbemo and Amad Diallo unable to represent their respective countries at the Africa Cup of Nations.
However, United have won just three league games in 11 games since the start of November, with a draw and two defeats, one against ten-man Everton and the other against ambitious Aston Villa.
Leeds did hold their own in an intense game of football that started to flicker just after the hour mark but never really lit up.
Aaronson’s goal helped Leeds move eight points clear of the bottom three, which looked to be a comfortable margin after an impressive performance that saw them remain unbeaten since losing to Manchester City at the end of November. They already have 11 points in a daunting December and turn of the New Year, against Chelsea, Liverpool, Brentford, Crystal Palace, Sunderland and now rivals from the Pennines.
While Leeds boss Daniel Farke has stabilized the team in recent weeks, Amorim appears to have rocked the boat in another episode of the soap opera United.