“There are some key differences” - Jamie Carragher compares Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim to sacked Chelsea manager

Jamie Carragher has compared Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim to Graham Potter, who was sacked by Chelsea in April 2023. Notably, the Blues were stumbling in mid-table at the time, in 11th place, some 12 points away from top four, when Potter left.

It is worth noting that the English manager was only at Stamford Bridge from September 2022 until April 2023. He managed just 31 games, losing 11, drawing eight, and winning 12. Despite being handed a five-year contract, his reign at the helm of the west London club was quite short.

Jamie Carragher believes Ruben Amorim could be headed in a similar direction at Old Trafford. This comes amidst Manchester United's problematic run of form. The pundit explained to the Daily Telegraph (via TeamTalk):

“Amorim’s arrival was supposed to echo Jurgen Klopp’s at Liverpool, both in terms of the point of the season at which he took over, and the galvanising impact on players and supporters. Currently, Amorim’s reign has more in common with Graham Potter’s brief spell at Chelsea, where a deteriorating situation was made worse."

Carragher continued:

“Five defeats for United in the past six league games is horrendous. Even the last win, against Manchester City, was due to a freakish finale rather than an excellent 90-minute performance.

“Before rushing to the conclusion it will end the same way for Amorim as for Potter, there are some key differences between Potter’s performance at Chelsea and the situation at United."

The Liverpool legend went on to explain:

“I was never convinced the Englishman was suited to Stamford Bridge. That was a hunch based on the culture of the club, where fans are accustomed to seeing ready-made, superstar managers such as Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti and Antonio Conte... Potter is a different character.”

Jamie Carragher revealed that Ruben Amorim was not introverted like Graham Potter, and was a better option than his Manchester United predecessor Erik ten Hag:

“Amorim, on the other hand, carries the aura of a top coach. Unlike Erik ten Hag, he looks and sounds the part. Listening to him gives you confidence he knows exactly what he wants from his players, and given the time and resources he will succeed.

“Under Ten Hag, United looked like a collection of individuals with no idea what system they were meant to play. Under Amorim, the system is identifiable but he has been dealt a poor hand. There is no obvious solution without an immediate injection of significantly more talented footballers to execute his plan.”

Manchester United currently sit in 14th on the Premier League table, while Chelsea, who have brought in Enzo Maresca, sit in top four.

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How Ruben Amorim has fared at Manchester United, compared to Graham Potter at Chelsea

Perhaps the major highlight of Graham Potter at Chelsea was leading the Blues into the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League before he was sacked. A 2-1 win over Borussia Dortmund on aggregate in the Round of 16 put the Blues up to face Real Madrid in the quarter-finals, which they lost 4-0 on aggregate.

Ruben Amorim's highlight at Manchester United, so far, was the 2-1 win over league champions Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on December 15. However, he has been unable to turn the Old Trafford ship around.

He has managed the Red Devils in 11 games so far, winning just four games and losing six. His win rate of just 36.36% is lower than that of Graham Potter (38.71%) during the English head coach's time at Stamford Bridge.