Bigger Mistake Than Amorim: Man Utd Must Not Appoint Antonio Conte

· GiveMeSport

Michael Carrick is under pressure, but Man Utd must not appoint the 57-year-old under any circumstances.

Manchester United have had a disappointing start to the season so far, with just one win in their opening five Premier League games.

A win over newly-promoted Ipswich Town followed a disappointing opening-day defeat to Hull City, while the team also lost controversially to Man City, and were held to draws against Everton and Fulham. The team did pick up a win in the Champions League against Azerbaijani side Sabah, but the performances overall have seen Michael Carrick come under pressure for his job already.

The iconic former midfielder was handed the job on a permanent basis in the summer after leading the team to a third-place finish in the Premier League and qualifying for the Champions League last season while he was interim boss.

His performance as permanent boss hasn't been the greatest. Man Utd have looked leaky defensively, haven't been scoring enough goals, and are regularly being outplayed for long spells.

Many fans have already made up their minds that Carrick isn't the man to take the team forward, although there is an acknowledgement that INEOS let him down in the transfer window by not sealing reinforcements in a number of positions.

But with some believing that it is now a matter of when, and not if, Carrick leaves the club, there is already speculation about who will be brought in to replace him, and who would be the right fit for the squad and what the club want to achieve.

Former Premier League and Serie A champion Antonio Conte is a name that has been mentioned as a potential option, with the Italian a free agent after leaving Napoli in the summer following two seasons in charge.

Conte has developed a reputation as one of the toughest coaches in the modern game, but also one of the most successful. He has won league titles with five different clubs and won the FA Cup during his time with Chelsea too, while competing against top managers like Pep Guardiola and José Mourinho.

While there is no denying the level of coach that Conte is, it's also impossible to ignore all the issues that have followed at the clubs he has been at.

The 57-year-old has regularly fallen out with members of the board or club hierarchy, often picks fights with key players, and his style of play is not something that would be appealing to Manchester United fans. Would he win? Probably. Would it be worthwhile? Probably not.

While Ruben Amorim turned out to be a total disaster of an appointment, there was at least some sense to the thought process of bringing him in. He was a young coach with the potential to be around long-term, who had won trophies and played an attractive style of play. Outside of winning, Conte brings none of those things, which would arguably make him an even worse appointment.

Carrick deserves a bit more time to turn things around, but even if the board decides that a change is needed sooner rather than later, Conte should be nowhere near the shortlist.

Read the original

People in this story

Related