Ruben Amorim’s succinct explanation for why Everton have enjoyed the kind of new manager bounce which has eluded him at Manchester United was that “David Moyes is doing a better job” than him.
Amorim, who has overseen just four wins from his 14 league games in charge, takes United to Goodison Park on Saturday. Everton have picked up 13 points from a possible 18 since Moyes, the former United manager, replaced Sean Dyche in mid-January. It has been a far less seamless transition at United with Amorim struggling to implement his tactics amid a litany of problems on and off the pitch.
Related: David Moyes v Ruben Amorim: the pragmatist meets the ideologue
“David Moyes is doing a better job than me, it’s quite simple,” said Amorim, who did accept “the pressure is not the same” at the two clubs. Asked why Moyes has been able to build momentum, he said: “Small things like winning one game, winning two games, that belief. We have to give merit to the players of Everton and especially to the coach.
“If we win two games or even if we win one game – the next one at Everton – everything changes slowly. When you win it’s so much easier to take the doubts out of the minds of the players.”
Amorim has never shied away from criticising his side in public and admitted to feeling angry with recent performances. He also disagreed with the notion that United are wedded to a 3-4-3 formation, saying his system was not just about the number of defenders.
He said: “Sometimes it’s frustrating and when you hear out loud four wins in 14 games for Manchester United, even in another club, it’s really frustrating and you get frustrated and angry.
“We worked so many years with this system I don’t see it as back three, five or four. I think we can adapt, but I’m passing the principles and then we go forward. I don’t see the system as three or five defenders. I see principles that we can change and this way of playing we can adapt to a different system. When I changed [at former club] Casa Pia it was because I believed it was something I needed to do, I just know how to do things I believe [in].”
United will have Leny Yoro, Christian Eriksen and Manuel Ugarte available for the trip to Merseyside, after all three missed last week’s 1-0 defeat at Tottenham. Amad Diallo remains sidelined for a “long time” according to Amorim, while midfielders Kobbie Mainoo and Toby Collyer are still out, along with long-term absentees Mason Mount, Lisandro Martínez and Luke Shaw.
