Rúben Amorim has been revealed as the favourite to take over the managerial position at Manchester United. The Red Devils who are struggling at the moment, can still offer one of the most enticing job prospects in the entire game. What tactics might Amorim wish to implement in England?
Today I look at how Sporting Lisbon are set up, how Amorim likes to build his teams and the tactics he likes to employ.
Pre-managerial career
Rúben Amorim was a highly versatile midfielder. He earned a good reputation in Portugal where he spent the vast majority of his career.
Amorim made his debut for Belenenses, where he enjoyed five strong seasons between 2003 and 2008. Next, as a free agent, he signed for Benfica, the most beloved team in Portugal. It was here that his reputation truly grew. This helped earn him 14 call-ups to the Portuguese national team.
After managing lower league sides, Amorim got the chance to coach Braga in the 2019/20 season. The campaign saw the team lost only two games the entire season.
Sporting CP came calling as a result. He opted to sign for the Lison side and has impressed over his four-season tenure with the club. The pinnacle of this tenure came in 2021 when Sporting won the first title in 19 years.
Football Philosophy
Rúben Amorim likes to adapt his tactics based on the opponents that Sporting is facing. However, some of his principles are consistent throughout.
Sporting players are instructed to occupy central areas of the pitch. The team’s relentless pressing is meant to draw opposition players out wide.
Amorim favors a 3-4-3 formation. This can quickly change to a five-at-the-back formation when the team is defending. The players engage in zonal marking most of the time. And the team plays with a high defensive line.
This helps when the team has the ball. On average, Sporting like to aim for a +60% possession rate against their opponents.
This dynamic and modern style of play has made Amorim highly admired by some of the world’s biggest clubs. Recently, it was revealed that Manchester United has been in contact with the young manager to sign.
What Would Rúben Amorim Bring to Manchester United?
Rúben Amorim has been revealed as the preferred candidate to replace Erik ten Hag at Manchester United. It’s not the first time that the Portuguese have been considered for a high-profile job in the EPL. But why? And how would he fix the mess at Manchester United?
First of all, like Ten Hag, Amorim is a young, hotshot manager who has achieved a good deal in a short space of time. Amorim won the Primeira Liga in 2024 against the better-funded rivals, Benfica and FC Porto.
Ruben Amorim has also earned a reputation as a masterful tactician. He favours a malleable 3-4-3 formation that is heavy on possession. Sporting plays with a high defensive line, and players defend using zonal marking.
Now, perhaps most importantly, Amorim is a manager who will change his tactics to suit the opposition he is playing against. He may switch to a 3-4-2-1 when needed. Sporting may prioritize attacking centrally or in wider areas as the opportunity reveals itself. As Ten Hag has been unable to instil a tactical identity at Manchester United, this is an appealing prospect.
Lastly, but also important, Amorim has proven he can lead a longer-term project. Sporting won Liga Portugal in Amorim’s first year, then spent another three seasons before they won it again, this time with a better-constructed squad.
The club did spend a good deal in Amorim’s first season on the transfer market. However, they sold players at a good profit in every other season after that. For Manchester United’s board who spent nearly a fortune on Ten Hag’s Dutch contingent, this must be music to their ears.
Why Appointing Ruben Amorim Might Not Solve the Current Problems
But there are risks as well.
Liverpool nearly signed Amorim before they settled on Arne Slot. It is rumoured that this happened because Amorim was stubborn in his tactical approach. The manager wanted to play in a 3-4-3 setup in a tactical style that is similar to Sporting CP’s approach.
This means that, like Erik Ten Hag prior to his Man U experience, Amorim is unproven in the Premier League and intent on changing the team to fit his needs.
Finally, would Ruben Amorim be happy with the current Manchester United squad? Hardly likely. Sure, some of the players in the squad should, technically, be at a higher level than his current Sporting recruits.
However, Amorim used the transfer market to greatly change Sporting’s squad, a team in distress at the time of his arrival. He will likely want to do the same in Manchester. The good news is that Amorim is a manager willing to work with young, unproven talent and has made smart transfers in the past.
Ruben Amorim certainly deserves a shot at managing a top European team. But Manchester United is not an ordinary job. This is a large project, one that has become more difficult following the decisions made by Erik ten Hag over the past two years.
Amorim is a great tactician and a smart operator on the transfer market, but he is no miracle worker. If he succeeds in the EPL, he will need time, the backing of the board and some good, old-fashioned luck.
Rúben Amorim’s Sporting in Defence
Rúben Amorim, head coach of Sporting, has already made a profound impact on Portuguese football since taking over the reins at the Lisbon-based club. With his tactical acumen and focus on possession-based play, Amorim has led Sporting, in recent years, to rival Roger Schmidt‘s Benfica and Sergio Conceicao‘s FC Porto once more. This season is an uncharacteristic exception.
Amorim’s preferred back-three structure is a key feature of his strategy, allowing his team to build up play from deep and break through the centre of the pitch. His three centre-backs, including converted left-back Matheus Reis, are tasked with playing forward passes to the double pivot, who then look to find attackers between the lines.
When the opposition has possession, Sporting drops into a 5-2-3 or 5-4-1 shape to counter-press and protect the central spaces. Amorim’s focus on occupying central areas is evident both in and out of possession, with his team’s front three narrowing to prioritize defending those spaces.
Build-up play
In possession, Amorim’s team attacks with a fluid front three that rotates to find space between the lines. The wing-backs hold the width, while the two wide forwards move inside to dominate the inside channels. Players like Marcus Edwards, Pedro Gonçalves, and Francisco Trincão have all provided consistent goal threats by working inside and beyond the single center-forward.
Sporting Lisbon in attack
While Amorim has used a more traditional center-forward in the past, he has gradually turned to a more fluid front line with players who can attack from wide positions as well as rotate into a central position. With Amorim at the helm, Sporting looks set to continue their dominance in Portuguese football.
A future in the Premier League?
Amorim is a highly sought-after manager even though Sporting is generally underperforming this season in the Portuguese top tier.
However, the manager’s credentials already clearly mark him as one of the most exciting managers in Europe.
Taking on Manchester United at this stage, however, would be a mammoth task, one at which Erik ten Hag or Jose Mourinho also failed.
Despite this, there’s a clear understanding that Amorim’s long-term future is unlikely to involve Sporting and that even greater things are on the horizon for the Portuguese tactician.
