It was inevitable for a long time that Ruben Amorim would take one of Europe's biggest jobs. If he wins the title with Sporting in 2021 at the age of 36, it is almost guaranteed. The fact that he intends to repeat that feat in 2024 only emphasizes his ability as a coach.
Sporting recognized this as a special talent early on and famously paid him a huge release fee after his impressive start to life at Braga. They are betting on his tactical thinking, his enthusiasm as a player, but most of all they are betting on his strength of character.
In conversations with a series of Portuguese coaches, some of whom have pitted wits with Amorim this season, we discuss his rise, what makes him so impressive as a coach, and, importantly, why I will try to see if I can reflect this in his teaching. Next job.
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Amorim was part of the famous Benfica team that won three league titles in Lisbon. He was good enough to be selected for Portugal's national team for the 2010 World Cup, but he is remembered as a player who played as a midfielder or right-back. A team man who brought unity.
Due to an injury, he was forced to retire early at the age of 32, and was forced to pursue a new career as a coach. His time at Casa Pia, then in the third division, was cut short when he was forced to resign after being punished by the club for not having the necessary license.
Amorim then rejected a role in Benfica's B team, choosing instead to join Braga's more controllable side. Within a few months, he had risen to the top of the table, taking his team from eighth to third, going unbeaten in the league and winning the Taca da Liga.
Sporting were convinced of this and acted quickly, paying an eight-figure buy-out clause, making him one of the most expensive managerial hires in history. He won his first title in 19 years in his first full season and brought clarity to a club in chaos.
“It’s really intense.”
A Benfica fan as a boy, he remembers watching tapes of the great AC Milan, but he cites Jose Mourinho as a reference point in his coaching career. In 2018, he visited Mourinho during his time at Manchester United and learned from him.
Although he is a scrapper as a player, he shares the underdog mentality and siege mentality. “I'm a little similar to that. I started to empathize more with the other team and think about how to beat them and how to stop them from scoring.”
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Vasco Seabra, head coach of Sporting's coastal neighbor Estoril, admitted that Amorim's team reflected his own work ethic.
“His team is very organized and they fight a lot,” Seabra said. sky sports. “He is always trying to develop his players as well. He works with young talented players as well as experienced players. The one thing they all have in common is that they want to fight. That’s the thing. They’re really intense.”
It was his character and leadership that allowed me to turn things around so quickly in my first two management jobs. Amorim has a charisma that shines through in his one-on-one meetings with players and in the faces he shows to the world's media.
“I think he won a lot with communication,” Seabra says. “Really, really great. His message is clear and easy to understand. Players connect with him easily. From the outside looking in, to reporters and the public, it's really simple and really concrete. ”
Vitor Camperos, who is currently the head coach of Gil Vicente in Portugal's First Division, is familiar with Amorim, having won and lost against Chávez last season. He echoes this view of the now 39-year-old coach as an expert in communication off the pitch.
“He has a positive mindset, a really good mentality,” Camperos said. sky sports. “He's had a good relationship with the players and with the chairman. He's always been honest with the players and he's been honest with the press.”
“The ability to shape diamonds”
There is no doubt that Amorim's reputation as a player in Portugal helped him get his ideas across quickly. “He has this add-on from his experience as a player and he also has these ideas, so that took him to another level,” says Joao Nuno Fonseca. sky sports.
Fonseca was Benfica B's assistant manager during Amorim's rise and is especially grateful for his work with young players. His Sporting side boast one of the best academies, but until now they have not been able to establish themselves like Benfica.
“What he has done and continues to do is develop young talent, which is the biggest reason for his success,” Fonseca explains. “There are great academies in the sport with a lot of talent, and Ruben is a coach with the ability to shape the diamond.”
He added: “I know how difficult it is to manage those egos at Benfica. Making the step from youth to the first team requires a certain sensitivity. At the same time, the president demands performance and results. He added, “They delivered it all. ”
“I like to bet on young players.”
Amorim, who lost star player Bruno Fernandes a few weeks before arriving at Manchester United, has built a new and better team. “He's the type of manager who likes to bet on young players,” Camperos said. It was a gamble to end Sporting's long title drought.
Pedro Polo, currently at Tottenham, joined on loan from Manchester City. Matheus Nunez, who currently plays for City, was inserted into midfield. Thiago Thomas and Nuno Mendes are academy graduates. It was young Pedro Goncalves who fired Sporting and brought them glory that season.
Mendes left for Paris Saint-Germain at the end of that season, and the following year key midfielder Joao Parinha left for the Premier League with Nunez. Revenues caused a temporary dip in performance, which was revised sharply this season, but delivered a significant profit.
Managers pay attention to these points. “The big clubs are looking at him because they understand that the academy will benefit them,” Fonseca said. “I think his greatest quality is his human side and how he has shaped the diamond that he is.”
That Amorim was able to rebuild is a testament to his tactical acumen. New heroes emerged, including English winger Marcus Edwards, signed from Coventry in the summer, and striker Victor Goqueres, whose goals put Sporting back on top of the table.
The formation hasn't changed and it's the base of his work. “It’s difficult because he always plays on that five-man line,” Seabra said. Some describe it as a 3-4-3 formation during possession. “Defensively it's a 5-2-3,” Camperos said.
“He likes to have technical players up front, with two wingers in Edwards and Pedro Goncalves. Edwards has had a good season, but the biggest surprise here is the striker who was in England. . He's a great player. He's strong.'' And he's fast. ”
Sporting knocked Arsenal out of the Europa League last season, but there are further challenges in Europe. “Ruben has tactical flexibility. He is based on his opponents, especially in Europe. He always takes into account the weaknesses of his opponents,” says Fonseca.
“He plays in a high defensive line most of the time and is good in transition. It's still a positive game idea that revolves around possession. This arrogance in the style of play is very positive for young players because they Because he has a fearless spirit.''That's the key.''
“He's a great coach.”
It's not so easy to admire him from Sporting, but it's easy to see why such a manager would appeal to Europe's big clubs. His high contract release clause is also a factor, as is his loyalty. The control he enjoys cannot be replicated anywhere else.
“Sporting also has plenty of money,” Camperos said. “It's not so easy to move to another team. Ruben is waiting. He's smart. A smart guy. Certainly waiting for him to take the right step. He's waiting for a team where he can succeed.”
However, he is confident that he will succeed when he chooses to retire. “I think he's ready to play in the best league,” Seabra said. Now it's important to choose the right club. He has been holding back for a long time. “I think it's a result of his personality,” Fonseca says.
“If he gets a call from a big club in the Premier League, of course he will talk about it, because he has big ambitions. Why change anything when you feel like you're being treated like that?'' Is it something unpredictable? ”
That's the mistake Andre Villas-Boas made when he took the Chelsea job after just one season at Porto. In a sense, Amorim has already avoided that mistake by continuing his education at Sporting for so long, mirroring Xabi Alonso's decision to remain at Bayer Leverkusen.
“In Portugal, just like in England, there are some good coaches and some not-so-good coaches,” Camperos said. “Sometimes clubs want a Portuguese manager who doesn't have anything in common with successful players. In Portugal, we think, 'Oh, there will be problems with that team.'
But Kampelos doesn't put Amorim in that category. None of his colleagues do. “I think Ruben is a great coach,” Seabra said.
The Premier League may find out.
