Ruben Amorim has no interest in defending with Sean Dyche ahead of Manchester United’s trip to Nottingham Forest
Ruben Amorim has no ill will towards Sean Dyche and admits the new Nottingham Forest boss could have been right: perhaps Manchester United would have won more games with him in charge.
Dyche made the statement in May on the Stick to Football podcast, four months after he was sacked by Everton. At the time, United were 16th in the Premier League and struggling and Dyche was adamant that he would do a better job at Old Trafford.
He said: “He [Amorim] is not going to change the way he plays. He better win a few games – pretty quickly.
“I think if I went out there and played my way we’d win more games. Just 4-4-2 – give them ground rules. We all agree on ‘Fair Play’ – but it’s been there for a while now, so you better start getting some wins soon.”
Amorim takes his revitalized side to the City Ground on Saturday, with United sixth in the table having won four of their last five Premier League games.
Dyche has taken charge of Forest for two matches since taking over from Ange Postecoglou – a 2-0 Europa League win over Porto and a 2-0 defeat at Bournemouth in the league.
Asked about Dyche at his press conference today, Amorim dismissed any talk of an issue between the two men and even admitted the former Toffees boss may have been right.
Amorim said: “First of all, maybe it’s true that if we played 4-4-2 we would have won more games, but I always said that I have a way of playing that will take some time, but in the future it will be better. So we don’t know.”
Dyche the manager is different from Dyche the expert
There has been a lot of noise around United since the Portuguese’s arrival, but he acknowledges that pundits require a certain role, as does management.
He added: “I can look at Sean Dyche as a manager and then as an expert.
“If you are an expert and you don’t say very strong things, I don’t want to watch you! So I can understand that it’s a completely different job. I know Sean Dyche is really intelligent and he knows how to play.
“And he also understands that one thing is when we watch the game and talk about it, the other is to coach a team. So I understand that I don’t have to say anything, I just want to win the next game.”
It’s been a great trip to United – Amorim
Saturday marks Amorim’s first anniversary at United and, while it certainly hasn’t been easy, signs of recovery are starting to emerge.
“It was a journey – a great journey,” he said.
“It was really hard, with good times and bad times. I learned a lot.
“I discovered that even in my lowest moments, I can stick to the things I believe in.
“Today the response is better than three weeks ago. This is one of the greatest honors of my life, I want to stay here for many years.”
Amorim knows what to expect at Forest
A win at Forest would be another sign that United are finally getting their act together, but Amorim knows it will be far from simple against a Forest side who will revert to the pragmatic style that served them so well under Nuno Espirito Santo.
Asked if he knew what to expect against a Sean Dyche side, he replied: “More or less, I watched the last game, it was one of the first ones here that we won. [against Everton]we were so lucky in this match.
“I watched against Porto, I watched against Bournemouth, the style of play is similar, with different characteristics.
“We have to prepare for a different game [than] against Brighton. We had space to play. We won’t have this space.
“You have to understand that we are not the same team away and at home, so we have to improve the way we control the environment. Every tackle is a big moment for the opposing fans, so we have to play better away.”
