The new season of Premier League is about to begin, and there will be a focus game in the first round, that is, Manchester United faces Arsenal at home. In the column of the Daily Mail, English football legend Carragher expressed his views on the head coaches of the two teams.
Manchester United coach Amorin recently boldly declared that he hoped to coach with the team for 20 years. However, his top priority is to ensure he can survive the 20 weeks of the early season in his first game against Arsenal. This focus match in the first round of the Premier League is both an opportunity and a challenge for Amorin and Arteta. Both coaches are facing different pressures at their respective careers, and the results of the game will immediately set an optimistic or pessimistic tone for them.
People might think that Amorin was less stressed than Arteta on Sunday afternoon. Manchester United is currently at a low point and it would be a huge improvement if they can make it into the top six. By contrast, Arteta needs to prove that he can lead the team to win the Premier League championship, while Amorin needs to prove that he has the ability to coach at the Premier League level.
Judging from the club's current status, this is a reality. Arsenal fans should remember this: If United can reach Arsenal’s current level in the next five years and compete for the championship for three consecutive seasons, Amorin has already performed very well.
From the coach's point of view, Amorin needs to do more persuasive work. His winning rate in Braga and Portugal Sports is more than 70%, but at Manchester United is only 40%. What is even more worrying is that the team lost 17 of the 42 games he coached. No matter how difficult it was when he took over, such a result would be unacceptable for such an important club.
Manchester United's problems had existed before Amorin arrived, and these problems were not resolved during his coaching period. United spends a lot of money on the transfer market to rebuild the team, but whether this approach is wise remains to be seen. To be sure, Manchester United will be seen as a underdog in the match against Arsenal. Apart from the first round, Amorin knew that Manchester United would always be expected to beat most opponents and rank higher. Similarly, Arteta is also very clear that if Arsenal starts badly, the outside world will not be tolerant of his evaluation. While it is inevitable to require Arteta to win the championship this season, it is also unfair. If Arsenal can finish second again and achieve good results in the Champions League, there is no need to change coaches.
Arsenal needs to remain competitive at least so that it still has a chance to compete for the championship in March next year. Arsenal has remained stable for the past three years, but the view that “first is everything, second is nothing” is not accurate. The Arsenal board needs to evaluate Arteta's performance based on its own schedule, rather than being affected by external pressure. Arteta eventually needs to win a major trophy, but if the team shows signs of a regression, this is the time to worry about.
The match at Old Trafford will also witness the showdown between two new players, namely Cesco and Yorkez. This is not only a contest between the two players, but also a symbol of different ideas between Manchester United and Arsenal, Amorin and Arteta. One team seems to have the time and space to gradually improve, while the other team is asked to succeed immediately.