In the Premier League, Manchester United lost 1-3 to Brentford. After going through the twists and turns of "taking one step forward and half a step back", Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has stated that he is not worried about his job security. The optimism brought by the victory over Chelsea seven days ago has been completely washed away by the 1-3 defeat to Brentford, a result that has left United stuck in the lower half of the Premier League table.
Despite this heavy setback, the club's management has chosen to stand by the manager. Sources emphasize that Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the club's minority shareholder, is backing Amorin, arguing that the Portuguese manager should be assessed only after he has coached his ideal squad for a full season. Manchester United officials have denied widespread rumors about a list of potential replacement managers, and insist they have never approached any alternative candidates.
However, as public opinion continues to simmer, the 40-year-old manager faces mounting pressure ahead of next weekend's match against in-form dark horse Sunderland. In 33 league games under Amorin's management, United have only secured 34 points, and have yet to achieve a winning streak in the Premier League. The progress he promised after finishing 15th last season has still not materialized. When asked about his future after the game, Amorin responded: "I never worry about my job security—I'm not that kind of person. It's not up to me to decide, but I will give my all every minute I'm in charge here."
United's management has publicly supported the former Sporting CP manager on multiple occasions, but every time such a heavy defeat occurs, that trust comes under question. With no midweek fixtures to divert attention, the aftermath of this loss will continue to reverberate.
Defender Matthijs de Ligt admitted after the game that the entire team had failed to live up to expectations, but argued that blaming the manager was unfair: "Blaming the coach is always easy, but in the end, it's the players on the pitch who execute." Former Wales midfielder Ashley Williams pointed out: “While I don't advocate frequent managerial changes, how long can this situation at United go on? We discuss the same topic every week. I admire coaches who stick to their tactical style, but the current system just isn't working. I can't see a way out for United unless there's a managerial change.”
Alan Shearer was blunt: "Amorin is under immense pressure. The management has made repeated mistakes since taking over, and they can't afford to be seen as having picked the wrong manager again. He's really very lucky." Martin Keown posed a more sharp question: “His win rate is only 1% higher than that of sacked West Ham United manager Graham Potter—why does he still get to keep his job? If this were within 12 months of Ferguson's retirement, he would have been sacked weeks ago.”
Amorin's dilemma lies in the fact that he has personally admitted his tactical setups have not been effective. Captain Bruno Fernandes has missed two of his three penalty attempts this season, which has extended United's winless run away from home in the league to eight games—their worst such record since 2019. Since Amorin took charge of the club in November last year, Manchester United have been the team that has conceded the first goal the most times in the league over the same period.
Although specialized training was conducted on tactical preparations for the Brentford game—including dealing with numerical disadvantages in midfield and defending against through balls behind the defense—the in-match execution was still riddled with flaws. "The way we conceded goals today is something we practiced just this week, which is frustrating," Amorin admitted. “I saw the players' form in training, but under the pressure of a high-intensity match, they were a completely different team.”
In the view of some football pundits, the root of the problem is Amorin's refusal to adapt his 3-4-2-1 formation. Brentford's new manager Keith Andrews promptly switched from a five-defender system to a four-defender setup, admitting that "this gave the midfield more structure and fluidity." Another pundit, Micah Richards, commented sharply: "Amorin's stubbornness will eventually ruin him. The management's support is important, but the current tactics are simply not working." He described United's two goals conceded in the first 20 minutes as "catastrophic mistakes": for the first goal, Harry Maguire was a yard off the halfway line when attempting to play the offside trap; for the second, Kevin Schade exploited a gap in the defensive zone to deliver a cross, leading to a goalkeeping fumble, and Igor Thiago capitalized on both opportunities to score.
Faced with criticism, Amorin defended his tactical system with a touch of irony: "When we win, no one mentions the formation; when we lose, it's all the formation's fault—I get it. It's more about the fact that we were drawn into Brentford's rhythm." But the core contradiction is that despite being in charge for some time, basic errors still occur frequently, making his defense ring hollow.
When talking about this setback, Amorin's words sounded familiar: "It's like a roller coaster. When we win, we feel the momentum is strong; when we lose, we're back to square one, waiting for the next win to regain that momentum. I can't give a new answer. Sometimes you can see progress, and sometimes you don't see signs strong enough to convince people that United is on the way back—it's always the same cycle."
