Matheus Cunha Gives Simple Explanation for Ruben Amorim’s Man Utd Downfall

Amorim’s refusal to budge from his 3-4-2-1 formation dominated headlines.

Matheus Cunha was signed to help Ruben Amorim’s system. | Kevin C. Cox/Premier League/Getty Images

Matheus Cunha says the pressure and scrutiny on Ruben Amorim’s tactics at Manchester United were so high that the system was always destined to fail.

Amorim arrived at Old Trafford with a rich record of success with a 3-4-2-1 formation, but the setup failed to translate to life in the Premier League and a refusal to change only increased the unwanted attention.

“The pressure for that tactic to work was so great that we forgot how simple the overall context was and focused too much on the negative,” Cunha confessed to DAZN.

Cunha, signed during the summer to help Amorim implement his formation, argued United still use parts of the 3-4-2-1 formation, even if the lack of media attention means nobody takes any issue with it.

“Being very honest, I think the numerology of football is very misleading,” he continued. “We attack in different ways and end up defending in the formation that everyone says is Ruben’s.”

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Cunha: Amorim Deserves Credit for Man Utd Resurgence

Cunha built a strong relationship with Amorim. | Ash Donelon/Manchester United/Getty Images

United find themselves sitting pretty in fourth in the Premier League table, thanks partly to the performances under interim manager Michael Carrick. Four wins and a draw from five games, including victories over Arsenal and Manchester City, have boosted the atmosphere around Old Trafford.

While Cunha is enjoying life under Carrick, he was keen to send the spotlight back to Amorim who, despite the criticism, helped recruit some of the players who have helped the team get back on its feet, including Bryan Mbeumo and Cunha himself.

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Ruben Amorim’s Signings at Man Utd

Player	Fee
Ayden Heaven	£1.5 million
Patrick Dorgu	£29.4 million
Matheus Cunha	£62.5 million
Diego Léon	£7 million
Bryan Mbeumo	£71 million
Benjamin Šeško	£73.7 million
Senne Lammens	£18.2 million

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“I was always very grateful for everything Ruben did,” Cunha continued. “It’s very easy, when things change, to look at what came before as only problems. But it’s quite the opposite. He was an incredible person.

“Many new players came because of him, so I think he also plays a big part in the success we are having now.”

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Amorim Helped Man Utd Combat Major Dressing Room Issue

Amorim made plenty of progress away from the pitch. | Ash Donelon/Manchester United/Getty Images

While there can be plenty of criticism of Amorim’s time at Old Trafford, credit must be given to the Portuguese tactician for his work on the culture inside the United dressing room.

Much was made of an allegedly toxic atmosphere surrounding the club as Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s reign ended in 2021, with interim boss Ralf Rangnick putting the entire club on blast multiple times over the months that followed in a desperate attempt to initiate major change.

While speculating over the true causes of United’s behind-the-scenes issues will lead nowhere, it must be noted that Amorim’s iteration of the squad never faced any such issues, with the Portuguese taking an incredibly brave stance when it came to offloading players.

This summer alone brought the high-profile departures of Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho as Amorim focused on building a squad which better aligned with his own personal approach to the game.

As Cunha points out, the squad built a strong relationship with Amorim, continuing to publicly support the manager even when all hope appeared lost. It is Carrick who is now benefiting from that major shift in mentality.

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