When Erik ten Hag led Manchester United to the FA Cup title, the season after the League Cup title, it was a Dutchman brimming with confidence. He had given United titles, that was what counted. Ole Gunnar stated in an interview as Manchester United manager that one should not be blinded by results in the cup, this could hide underlying problems that emerge in the Premier League or Champions League. Solskjaer was right. So when Ruben Amorim is asked about cup wins, he has learned from Solskjaer.
Erik ten Hag kept his job as United manager precisely because of the FA Cup title. Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the United management were dazzled by a moment of success at Wembely. The underlying problems, which Solskjaer warned against, came to light two or three months later.
Ten Hag was sacked in October, Ruben Amorim led the reigning FA Cup champions on Friday after victory against Leicester. Now the Portuguese is asked how important results are in the cup.
“I can’t just focus on saving our season with success in the FA Cup. It’s not how I see football – it’s not how I see Manchester United.It’s about the whole, about the performance and about the results,” Amorim told the club’s website.
With 13th place in the Premier League after the home loss to Crystal Palace, Amorim is not trying to “take a Ten Hag” where a title is a title. The Portuguese knows, like Solskjaer, that success in the cup means little in the job of creating a title contender in the Premier League and Champions League, every season.
Good to hear this from Amorim, after a few seasons with cup champion Ten Hag.
