Ruben Amorim’s rapid success at Sporting Lisbon has led to him being linked with many Premier League clubs.

Most recently, Manchester United are looking for a replacement for Erik ten Hag after the Dutchman left the club on Monday.

Coaches’ Voice takes a look at the Portuguese coach’s tactics and explains what makes him such a hot commodity.

Amorim’s start

In just a few years as a manager, Ruben Amorim has become one of the most highly rated and sought after young coaches in football. Having only started with Casa Pia in the Portuguese third division in 2018, Amorim got his first chance at a big club when Braga appointed him as reserve team coach.

Just three months later, after Ricardo Sa Pinto was sacked, Amorim took over as manager of Braga. At the age of just 34, he became manager of a club team that competed in a major European league.

Amorim impressed so much in his 13 games as manager – of which he won ten – that Sporting Lisbon came calling and paid a sizable fee to release Amorim from his Braga contract in March 2020.

Remarkably, Amorim led Sporting to a domestic double in his first full season with the club, including their first league title in 19 years. Sporting suffered just one league defeat all season, in the 33rd of 34 games – and after the title had already been secured.

Amorim’s eye-catching and effective brand of football has quickly yielded results and led to numerous links with Europe’s biggest teams. He is unlikely to think his job is done at Sporting, but he will also know the teams he is associated with well and may have ambitions of making it in the Premier League one day.

Here we take a close look at the type of football Amorim likes to play in his teams.

Adjustable chain of three

Amorim tended to prefer a Chain of three with Sporting and throughout his tenure his team has played a game-based game. Amorim wants his three central defenders to break the first line through the middle of the pitch as often as possible during their deep build-up play.

With the double-pivot midfield dropping deep, center backs Sebastian Coates, Goncalo Inacio and converted left-back Matheus Reis attempt to play forward passes into the feet of the double-pivot. Then they try to turn around and find the attackers between the lines. If they can’t turn, the midfielders will instead bounce the ball wide into the middle Full-back.

Amorim will also adjust his team’s shape, with the center centre-back – usually Coates – slightly higher up (bottom). This means that the two pivot points expand and move closer to the full-backs.

This can also open up more passing lanes for direct and incisive forward passes from the wider centre-back – now briefly in pairs – to attackers further up the pitch. These passes often bypass the closest options and instead involve an attacker advancing through the inside channels.

The higher of the three central defenders then acts between the two pivot points and can thus create a numerical overload in the central areas in order to beat the opponent’s high press. This means that the players in Amorim’s back line can continue to focus on breaking the lines into central teammates, and only use the full-backs during deeper build-up play when absolutely necessary.

Whenever the full-backs cannot play directly into the double pivot, a reversal of the previous pattern is applied: the full-back throws the ball back inside to find the pivot players in a forward position.

Internal channels

Further up the pitch, Amorim prefers his teams to attack with a fluid three-man front that rotates to find space between the lines. Most of the time, the full-backs hold the width while the two wingers then move inwards, regardless of whether the team has possession of the ball or not.

Sporting’s wingers have all provided a constant goal threat in recent seasons – players such as Marcus Edwards, Pedro Goncalves, Francisco Trincao, Pablo Sarabia and Bruno Tabata – by operating inside and outside of the lone centre-forward and attempting to dominate spaces internal channels.

Amorim has deployed Paulinho, a more traditional centre-forward, in the middle of the three. But he has gradually turned to a more fluid front line, with players who can attack from wide positions as well as rotate into a central position. This has led to further rotations to get players between the lines and significant congestion in the inside channels.

With the full-backs providing the necessary width, Amorim often wants to have two of the front three in an inside channel. The third and final attacker then becomes a central threat, with the full-back on the other side available to attack Game change (above).

This strategy overloads one side of the field; Amorim recruits and selects players capable of playing tight combinations in an inside channel to lure the opponent to that side of the pitch. If they don’t advance through the inside channel, this also opens up the opportunity to switch play and isolate a defender on the other side of the pitch.

Nuno Santos was switched from an attacking role to left wing-back, providing additional attacking presence on the left in the final third. This is similar to Graham Potter sometimes played winger as full-back Brighton & Hove Albionleaving a dangerous attacking player available to change play.

For Sporting, this had led to overloads in the right inside channel, with Santos, who likes to attack 1v1, free on the left. After a change of play, the players who had previously overloaded the right inside channel attack the penalty area so that Santos can cross or deliver shots.

The double pivot provides protection under the ball and allows the full-backs to push forward at the same time. Amorim prefers his teams to attack with five players and generally keeps five players under the ball.

Press

Without possession, Amorims Sporting is one of the most intense teams in Portugal. When pressed high up the pitch, the front three narrow down to prioritize protecting the central spaces. Just like when his team has the ball, Amorim’s first thought is to occupy central areas.

Once the attackers have committed to pressing, they try to force play outwards, with the wingers directing their pressing from the inside out. The double pivot moves across with the ball, often shifting position, with the next player ready to jump forward under the center forward.

Positioning the higher element of the double pivot between opponents allows them to defend directly in front of the nearest full-back and make a decision about who to press depending on where the opponent plays their next pass (below). The full-backs will aggressively apply pressure when the opposition breaks past the first line and finds an opponent on the outside.

The second pivot player covers the central lanes and is ready to position himself between the centre-backs – particularly if one of the wider centre-backs is dragged across the pitch as the full-back jumps forward to apply pressure.

The full-back on the other side becomes narrower and offers additional protection from the central defenders in the central areas. This also encourages the double pivot to be more aggressive in staggered positioning and in deciding to move outwards and press the ball.

Wide traps

When the opponent gains possession of the ball and Amorim’s team is unable to press high, they usually fall into a 5-2-3 formation, although a 5-4-1 formation is also occasionally used. His team still places emphasis on protecting the middle of the pitch, with their 5-2-3 block naturally forcing the game wide. This is where Amorim’s team uses a keypress trap.

While the front line pushes the ball wide, the full-back jumps from the back line of five. The full-back on the other side stays in a back four to protect the far post (below). The Double joint Moves aggressively across the field to keep play on one side.

In such situations, they are less likely to shift their positioning in the second line as they are now focused on preventing the opponent from playing inside. The full-back stops the pass along the sideline and the nearest center-back remains ready to pursue any full-back. The rest of the defensive line is positioned in such a way that it can keep up in aerial duels or changes of play.

The front row is still working to press the ball – particularly the two wide forwards – with the next striker pushing the ball from behind to block the play wide. The center forward maintains his position to prevent passes from penetrating through the middle of the block, and the striker on the other side adjusts his position depending on the opponent’s strength.

If they are good at switching play, the wide player on the other side will go back to the second line. However, if Amorim thinks it’s worth taking a higher risk, that player stays high and is willing to do so transition press quickly or high when an opponent plays a trigger pass.

Amorim’s proactive football has led to many positive conversations about his future. It will be interesting to see how high he rises into the football elite.

To learn more about soccer tactics and gain insight from coaches at the top of the game, visit CV Academy.