Pitch points: why are United sticking with Amorim? And is Pulisic really that good?

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/oct/02/ruben-amorim-manchester-united-arsenal

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The world of soccer throws up no shortage of questions on a regular basis. In today’s column, Graham Ruthven endeavors to answer three of them

Why haven’t United sacked Amorim yet?

It’s no wonder Ruben Amorim spent the closing moments of Manchester United’s defeat to Brentford staring at the floor. That’s the only place he can escape the reality of his team’s continued slide. United’s latest defeat means the Portuguese manager has now lost nearly twice as many matches (17) as he has won (nine).

Under Amorim, United have taken just 31 points from 31 Premier League matches, giving him the worst record of the club’s five permanent post-Sir Alex Ferguson managers after the same number of games. The most successful club of the Premier League era are closer to relegation than another title.

Firing Amorim, though, would be politically significant. CEO Omar Berrada reportedly pushed hard for his appointment nearly a year ago, as did sporting director Jason Wilcox. Amorim’s hiring was the first major move of the Sir Jim Ratcliffe age and so his firing would raise questions over Ineos’s involvement in all this.

Plus, some adjustment time was always meant to be part of Amorim’s process. Last season’s 15th place finish was far from ideal, but a rebuild was always going to be painful and so United willingly endured their worst league campaign for over five decades in the belief it would ultimately lead to the “good days,” Amorim promised.

Those good days, however, still seem a long way off. Saturday at the Gtech Community Stadium certainly wasn’t one. Amorim’s refusal to budge from his trademark 3-4-3 system is becoming the defining issue of his tenure, but the truth is there are countless other problems dragging Manchester United down.

At some point, United may have to read up on the sunk-cost fallacy.

Why did Arsenal’s win at Newcastle matter so much?

The celebration police surely raised an eyebrow at how Arsenal reacted to the final whistle on Sunday. Match winner Gabriel Magalhães dropped to his knees. Mikel Arteta tightly embraced his coaching staff. The away support high in the nosebleeds at St James’ Park went nuts. All this for a win that only lifted the Gunners to second, still two points behind Liverpool.

Victory in the north-east was about more than three points for Arsenal, though. It was a result, and comeback from 1-0 down, that quelled some of the criticism faced by Arteta and his players. If the recent performances against Liverpool and Manchester City were too timid for a team chasing the title, Sunday’s display was anything but.

Arsenal beat Newcastle at their own game. They physically matched them. The intensity was there from the start and even more so when Nick Woltemade opened the scoring against the run of play. Other teams would have crumbled, but the visitors were determined to make a point.

For Arsenal, being second is nothing to celebrate. That’s where they’ve finished in each of the last three Premier League seasons. Sunday’s full-time scenes were so visceral because the comeback could be a catalyst for a sustained, and ultimately successful, title challenge, Arsenal’s first for over two decades. Not even the celebration police could begrudge that party.

Jonathan Wilson brings expert analysis on the biggest stories from European soccer

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Has any American male player been as good as Pulisic is right now?

Christian Pulisic scored what proved to be the winner in Sunday’s blockbuster Serie A clash between Milan and Napoli, but that wasn’t even his best moment of the match. That came just three minutes in when Pulisic skipped past a tackle, surged into the box and picked out a teammate at the back post for a simple finish in a way no other player on the pitch could have replicated.

It’s difficult to envision another male American player being able to produce such brilliance at such a high standard on such a regular basis. So the answer to the titular question is simple: No. Pulisic is operating at a level that none of his compatriots have ever matched. Not Landon Donovan. Not Clint Dempsey. No one.

Of course, Pulisic has been a high-level performer for Milan for the last two seasons. Even as the Rossoneri fell apart last season, going through three managers in just a few months, the American found a way to consistently impact matches, registering 25 goal contributions in all competitions. He certainly wasn’t to blame for Milan finishing eighth.

Now, though, Pulisic has the framework around him to hit even higher heights. Max Allegri is using the 27-year-old as a secondary forward in a role that affords him the freedom to drift. And dribble. And create. And shoot, all of which Pulisic did in a 2-1 win for Milan that marked them out as genuine Scudetto contenders. The best player for the best team in Serie A is an American.