Manchester United and Liverpool transitions compared under Ruben Amorim and Arne Slot - 'Confusion’ vs 'seamless'
Published 30/12/2024 at 14:14 GMT
There is “confusion and noise” at Manchester United, compared to the “seamless” season Liverpool have enjoyed thus far under Arne Slot, according to Rio Ferdinand. United are languishing in the Premier League’s bottom half, having endured a dismal start to the campaign that cost manager Erik ten Hag his job. Meanwhile, Liverpool are eight points clear at the Premier League summit under Slot.
Amorim says Man Utd supporters are 'tired' of difficult run
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Rio Ferdinand says there is "confusion and noise" at Manchester United when compared to the "quiet and seamless" transition Liverpool have experienced since Arne Slot replaced Jurgen Klopp.
United's dire season to date has already cost Erik ten Hag his job, while the Dutchman's replacement, Ruben Amorim, has since been unable to turn the tide on the club's season in his six weeks in charge.
Ferdinand, who lifted six Premier League titles and the UEFA Champions League during a glorious 12-year spell at Old Trafford, expressed frustration over United’s topsy-turvy campaign, comparing it to the consistency enjoyed by Premier League leaders Liverpool.
"It’s a lot of confusion and noise over [Manchester United] compared to a very seamless, quiet kind of approach [at Liverpool]," he exclusively told CNN Sport.
Despite replacing long-standing manager Klopp in the summer, Liverpool have enjoyed a near-perfect start to the campaign under his successor Slot, most recently beating West Ham 5-0 to go eight points clear at the top of the Premier League table.
Ferdinand added: "[It] shows you the importance of the infrastructure behind the scenes, but also don’t forget that (the Liverpool) squad was a much more stable squad as well.
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'We just have to survive,' say Amorim as Man Utd drift backwards in league table
Video credit: SNTV
"A team of people who have won at that club, [who] have been there for a long time. They had the components in there that were working but just weren't maybe working the right way and needed fine-tuning.
"I always look at it as [Manchester] City winning, ‘that’s a nightmare’, or Liverpool going to be winning this year, ‘it’s a nightmare.’ I can suffer that over there a little bit if we’re starting to move and go in the right direction."
Ferdinand insisted that Amorim and co-owners Ineos, who only took the reins at Old Trafford earlier this year, needed time to improve the club’s fortunes.
"It’s got to be long-term thinking now," Ferdinand said. "It’s weird to say this of Manchester United, but I just don’t think we can put targets on things. We’re not in a position to do that.
"We have a lot of rebuilding of players individually, of a team, but also of a culture and environment.
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"That’s going to take time, so to put a target above that in terms of position and winning things takes away from all of those four things that need building."
He continued: "We need to give Ineos the chance to prove that they are capable of dragging the club from where we are. They’re now making decisions and their decisions are going to be judged.
"What he’s [Amorim] done with Sporting… [He] changed the narrative of that football club for a few years.
"But also his charisma and his ability to communicate has been very impressive and it was before he came.
"It’s alright doing that at Sporting. It’s a very different beast at Manchester United.
"In 2025, I hope Manchester United become a positive football club with positive energy around them, and the narrative isn’t always dejected disappointment."
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