Ruben Amorim will arrive at Anfield this weekend as Manchester United manager, and it will be an interesting meeting between two managers who have had contrasting experiences at England’s two biggest clubs.
When Jurgen Klopp announced his decision to leave Liverpool in January 2023, fans were worried about the prospect of the club falling into chaos the following season. When The Kop chose Feyenoord coach Arne Slot, many were skeptical. Compared to other prominent candidates such as Xabi Alonso or Man United's own Ruben Amorim, Slot was an unfamiliar name.
But Slot has had a more than satisfactory start to life at Liverpool, while Amorim's journey at Old Trafford has been rocky. The Kop are currently top of both the Premier League and Champions League.
United are closer to the relegation zone than the top four. They lost six games in December, their most in a single month since 1930. Amorim also became the first manager to lose six of his first 11 games in charge since Walter Crickmer in the 1930s. Slot suffered just one defeat in half a season.
Their records are very different. Amorim lost 54% of his games in charge at United, Slot just 4%. Amorim’s win rate was 36%, Slot’s was 81%. Klopp left Liverpool with a proud legacy, and now it has been built on and improved by Slot’s excellence in the squad he inherited.
Slot had a quiet summer transfer window with the only addition being Federico Chiesa, but due to injury and a drop in form he has only made one appearance. Meanwhile, Amorim is about to enter his first transfer window with United, but with a lack of funds and Profit and Sustainability (PSR) regulations hanging over his head.
Previously, in the summer of 2024, the Red Devils spent more than £200 million on Erik ten Hag to buy a new player, only to fire him helplessly and rush to hunt for Amorim. Meanwhile, Liverpool showed a certain certainty last summer, when they were actively searching and considering Slot for a long time.
Part of the reason Liverpool overlooked Amorim during the search was his insistence on a 3-4-3 formation. The Kop didn’t want that kind of conservatism in their man-management. With Slot, his changes were more subtle. He experimented with using two deep-lying midfielders instead of the usual one.
The Dutchman has moved Ryan Gravenberch into a holding midfielder, used Cody Gakpo on the left wing, occasionally played Luis Diaz as a striker, and each adjustment has paid off handsomely. This is how a coach adapts to his team, not how his team fits into his mould.
On the other hand, Amorim inherited a squad without any standard full-backs but insisted on playing full-backs. Amorim argued that the players were not performing to their potential, but that this was no excuse to use them in a very different formation.
However, it must be admitted that Slot was handed a more harmonious club with a better culture.
United have yet to make a truly successful appointment since Sir Alex Ferguson, while Liverpool found a suitable successor immediately after Klopp's departure.
All signs point to Liverpool being right in choosing Slot over Amorim, and now it is the Portuguese tactician's turn to prove he is worthy of trust at Old Trafford.
