Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has strongly criticized manager Ruben Amorim`s tactical approach, specifically his apparent decision to prioritize success in the Europa League at the expense of the team`s performance in the Premier League.
United recently secured their place in the final of Europe`s second-tier club competition after a dominant 7-1 aggregate victory against Athletic Bilbao.
While the run in Europe has provided a distraction, the team`s domestic league form has been notably poor, resulting in a current standing of 15th place in the Premier League table.
Amorim`s team selections in recent weeks suggest a clear focus on the Europa League, evidenced by increased playing time given to younger players like Tyler-Fredricson and Harry Amass, which he might not have done if prioritizing the league.
Writing in his column for TNT Sports, pundit Scholes stated: “A club like Manchester United should possess the depth and capability to compete effectively in multiple competitions simultaneously without needing to compromise one for another. It is evident they have sacrificed their league campaign.”
He added, “I find this approach unacceptable and disagree with it. A Premier League team, especially one like United, must maintain certain performance standards regardless of other commitments.”
“It appears,” Scholes continued, “they approach Premier League matches with an underlying acceptance of not winning, which is simply astonishing.”
“This mindset of acceptance seems to have permeated throughout the club,” he opined.
Scholes is convinced that the blame for this apparent resignation to poor league results lies primarily with one individual.
“In my view,” he asserted, “this attitude originates from the manager, even if he would never publicly acknowledge it.”
“He is not selecting his teams for league matches with the primary objective of securing victories.”
“I suspect even the supporters feel a sense of wanting to just get the remaining league fixtures finished because the season has been so disastrous domestically.”
“Fans might even be thinking, `Just play whoever you like, we`ve given up caring about the league results.` This level of acceptance is concerning and wrong, as the Premier League should always be the main focus – it`s the club`s bread and butter.”
“However,” Scholes conceded, “if winning the Europa League secures qualification for the Champions League next season, perhaps this poor league form will eventually be overlooked. That`s what I hope, anyway.”
“Nevertheless, the abysmal Premier League campaign leaves a sour taste,” he noted, “and the team might well pay the price for it in the following season.”
“I believe the manager should have used the recent league games as an opportunity to learn how to grind out wins even when the team isn`t performing optimally, as this is a skill they will undoubtedly need next season.”
“You cannot simply expect the team`s league performances to magically improve next season with the flip of a switch,” he warned.
“Prioritizing qualification for next season`s Champions League via the Europa League while neglecting the Premier League is, in my opinion, a significant gamble.”
Manchester United are set to face fellow English side Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final in Bilbao later this month, after Spurs defeated Bodo/Glimt in their semi-final.
