Former Manchester United forward Owen was interviewed. He talked about the criticism of head coach Amorim, Manchester United's problems and the patience of fans and other topics. What do you think of the outside criticism of Amorim's three-b...
Former Manchester United forward Owen was interviewed. He talked about the criticism of head coach Amorim, Manchester United's problems and the patience of fans and other topics.
What do you think of the outside criticism of Amorim's three-back system?
They have changed coaches many times since Ferguson left. They then blame the players, spend billions on players, bring in some of the best players in the world, and as a result the club has been seen as the 'end' for players over the past decade.
Then it’s the person in charge of recruiting, so everyone wants them to leave. And then there was the board, so after Lord Ratcliffe got involved there was a shake-up of the board.
Later, the problem came from the facilities, so they wanted to renovate the training ground and made plans for a new stadium.
Then it was the staff's turn again, so half of the support staff, physiotherapists, doctors, cafeteria ladies, everyone was cleaned and started again.
The latest theory is that the problem is that they play three defenders. If I remember correctly, I watched ten Hag play with a back four about a year ago and it was some of the worst football I've ever seen United play.
Some great teams have used a three-back system in the past. I’m not saying this is my favorite formation or that Amorim is right to stand up for what he believes in. But I definitely don’t think all of Manchester United’s problems now are because they play three at the back.
It would be embarrassing if you were to blame the main reason for the team's downturn on them playing a back three. I mean, that's not really the case. They could switch back to a back four and play as poorly as they did under ten Hag, and the screaming would be just as loud.
Amorim is worried that comments from celebrities such as Neville and Rooney will affect players. Do you agree?
I completely agree with this. The players are not isolated. They listen to the radio as they drive to practice. They sit in the living room at home and watch TV. They look at social media. They can do all these things. If you're interested in football, you can't avoid what people think and say.
As to whether football players should be swayed or affected by these comments, that is another topic. But I have no doubt that players will be watching and listening to guys they probably grew up respecting and thinking were great players. They will listen to those points of view.
If those people say certain things, then those words may enter the players' minds, and they may start to doubt whether the coach's approach is correct. They may have their own ideas, but that's nothing new.
This situation will never change. It's never changed, but I do think Amorim is on point in bringing this up.
Do you think Manchester United fans should be patient?
If Manchester United fans can see something, they will be patient. I don't think anyone expected them to jump from the form they had over the past 10 years to become league champions.
The fans just want to see a plan, even if they lose, it doesn't matter. They want to see some progress, something that gives them hope.
I think this is where Manchester United fans are struggling right now, they have new hopes for a new coach. But Amorim has neither produced results nor given them any reason to believe that things will improve dramatically in the future, and that's the problem.
Celebrities and fans are indeed just walking in circles. When you look back at Manchester United's problems in recent years, the first to be blamed is the manager.
What do you think of the future of Manchester United?
These rebuilding projects do happen at big clubs. Liverpool went through it in the 1990s, Arsenal went through a similar situation after Wenger left, and they both struggled to find the right manager, the right players and the right solutions.
This has taken a while at United, and although there's no sign yet that they can do it, it will eventually get on track. It might take two, four, six, even ten years, but everyone knows Manchester United will win the Premier League again.
They are too big, too rich, and too good a club to fail to do this. It's just a question of when they can get everything straightened out.
