When he first ran for US president in 2016, Donald Trump promised Americans: "We're gonna win so much you're gonna get sick and tired of winning." Ruben Amorim might just know what he meant. Since he took charge of Sporting CP in March 2020, no coach in Europe's top 10 leagues has won as many games (122 out of 158/77 percent) as the 39-year-old. Amorim has won all 14 domestic games this season, racing to the top of the Portuguese Primeira Liga and into the semi-finals of the League Cup while winning three out of four games in the Champions League and remaining unbeaten.
The coach, however, is about to join a Manchester United side who are sick and tired of losing. The Red Devils are 13th in the Premier League and rank poorly in almost every performance metric. The gap in quality between Sporting and United was laid bare in a damning graphic produced by Monday Night Football on Sky Sports, comparing the two teams in eight key statistical areas.
Sporting were first in every section bar one - final third tackles, for which they ranked third. United ranked surprisingly high - second - in the same metric, but their performances in every other area were uninspiring at best and downright concerning at worst. They were seventh for possession, percentage of short passes and goals conceded. And when it came to the most important section, goals scored, they ranked a pitiful 18th.