Man City expert Steven McInerney from Esteemed Kompany talks to Sports Mole about whether Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim would be the right man to succeed Pep Guardiola, should he decide to leave the Etihad Stadium.
Manchester City expert Steven McInerney from Esteemed Kompany has talked up the success and pragmatism of Sporting Lisbon head coach Ruben Amorim, but he has questioned whether the Portuguese would be the right man to succeed Pep Guardiola should he decide to leave the Etihad Stadium.
Speculation over Guardiola’s long-term future as Citizens boss has been rife for some time, with his current contract due to expire in the summer of 2025.
The 53-year-old, widely regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time, has transformed Man City into a silverware-hunting powerhouse, particularly on the domestic front, successfully steering the club to an impressive 18 trophies, including six Premier League titles and one Champions League.
Guardiola, who has been linked with the England vacancy, recently spoke about his future on Italian television, stating that he “still need to reflect and decide” what he wants to do and that “anything can happen in life”.
A report from The Telegraph has since emerged claiming that Guardiola is considering signing a new one-year contract at Man City, as he is intrigued by the idea of completing at least 10 years at the Etihad.
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Could Man City target Amorim after Viana arrival?
The possibility of Guardiola leaving Man City still remains, though, and the club’s hierarchy are sure to have drafted together a contingency plan should the Catalan opt to seek pastures new.
One name who could enter the frame is Sporting Lisbon boss Amorim, who has built a strong relationship with incoming Man City director of football Hugo Viana in his native Portugal.
Thirty-nine-year-old Amorim arrived at Sporting in 2020, two years after Viana, and has won an impressive 71.37% of his 234 matches in charge of the club, as well as winning two Primeira Liga titles.
McInerney can understand why Man City could target Amorim as a potential replacement for Guardiola and he has compared to latter’s “malleable” style of coaching to the former.
However, McInerney has questioned whether the Citizens would look to appoint someone like Amorim, considering his footballing philosophy and the current players within the first-team squad at the Etihad.
Asked whether Amorim could replace Guardiola at Man City following the arrival of Viana, McInerney told Sports Mole: “Potentially. Sporting directors do love their guys, don’t they? They love the ones that they know and trust, and I understand that, but there’s a lot to be said for familiarity and a proven partnership.
Would Amorim be a suitable candidate to succeed Guardiola at Man City?
“I know Viana predates Amorim a little bit, but they’ve had such a successful run together [so] I wouldn’t be surprised if [City moved for Amorim].
“[However], I’m not entirely convinced Ruben Amorim is the guy I would choose to manage this squad right now. I don’t know who it would be… but the football is a little bit different that Amorim plays. It’s still possession-based, of course, [but] 3-4-3 is not really a Manchester City thing, and he does that a lot.
“Having said that, he’s successful, he’s pragmatic. We have got a collection of centre-backs that would work in that formation. We definitely don’t have the wing-backs, I think, that he’d require for his system, so we’d have to change a few things there.
“I don’t quite know how the City fans would react to his changes, but having said that, a lot of managers are very reactive to the squad that they’ve got.
“They choose their style depending on the tools that they have, and I think there is a preconception that Guardiola has always [tried to] fit all these square pegs into round holes. Actually, Guardiola has built his tactics around the players.
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“The Champions League treble-winning season where he decided to have inverted full-backs and centre-backs stepping into midfield – that was based off what he had, the tools at his disposal. I think the reason he’s playing wingers now is because we’ve got tricky wingers.
“I think Guardiola is a lot more malleable than people realise and I think most managers are, so Amorim could come into this City side and do a very good job, he could do. It’s just a little bit different.”
Amorim destined for future Premier League move?
Amorim has regularly been linked with a possible move to the Premier League, with Liverpool allegedly being one club who considered appointing him before choosing Arne Slot to succeed Jurgen Klopp.
Chelsea and West Ham United have also been credited with an interest in Amorim in the past, while recent reports have linked the Portuguese with Manchester United amidst uncertainty over the future of Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford.
Amorim is under contract at Sporting until the summer of 2026 and his side have made a perfect start to the defence of their Primeira Liga title this season, winning each of their opening eight matches by an aggregate score of 27-2, sitting three points clear at the top of the table.