Man Utd’s Ruben Amorim is latest Portuguese manager in Premier League – will he conquer like Mourinho or flop like AVB?
RUBEN AMORIM is gearing up to lead Man Utd for the first time this season.
The ex-Sporting Lisbon boss takes his Red Devils side to Portman Road to face off against Ipswich Town.
It promises to be an electric atmosphere for Amorim, who will have to quickly come to terms with the cut and thrust of the Premier League.
The 39-year-old tactician is the seventh Portuguese boss to manage on our shores.
But will he be a success like Jose Mourinho or a turkey like Andre Villas-Boas.
Here’s how the coaches from Portugal compare.
Jose Mourinho
A pioneer for Portuguese coaches, the iconic Mourinho was the first from his homeland to coach on our shores.
He conquered Europe with Porto, then took over as Chelsea boss – winning two Premier League titles in a row from 2004 to 2006.
He added cups to his resume with the Blues, including an FA Cup in 2016 and two League Cups in 2005 and 2007.
After successful spells at Inter Milan and Real Madrid, he returned to Stamford Bridge and one ANOTHER Premier League title in 2015, as well as a League Cup in the same year.
During his spell at Man Utd from 2016 to 2018, he won the Europa League.
However, he was trophyless at Tottenham during a 17 month spell – getting sacked days before a League Cup final against Man City in 2021.
André Villas-Boas
Incredibly, Villas-Boas managed at the same clubs Mourinho did – Chelsea and Spurs.
However, there are contrasting differences.
Villas-Boas was a disaster at Chelsea from the offset, upsetting club captain John Terry by trying to get him to sit in economy on a plane to a preseason tour, while the youth side sat in first class.
He was sacked after just eight months in charge, with Chelsea slipping out of the top four on his watch.
Villas-Boas would then resurface in London – taking over at Tottenham from Harry Redknapp.
That went pear-shaped 17 months in, when a 6-0 defeat to Man City and a 5-0 home thrashing against Liverpool saw him leave the club by mutual consent.
Marco Silva
Silva is currently having his most successful spell as a coach in England, guiding Fulham quietly above expectations.
Before he won over the fans at Craven Cottage, he lost a few at Everton.
His first season at Goodison Park saw the Toffees finish in eighth spot in the Prem.
However, he couldn’t repeat those heroics in his second season, and following a 5-2 defeat to rivals Liverpool he was fired with the club languishing in 18th place.
Prior to that, there was a sticky time at Watford who Everton were forced to pay compensation to following a public courting of Silva.
That spell started well, until that possible distraction saw Watford flirt dangerously with relegation.
Silva’s first appointment in the Prem came ALL the way back in 2017, when he was hired to save the club from relegation.
Despite winning his last four home matches, it wasn’t enough to save the Yorkshire club who were rock-bottom when he took over.
Nuno Espírito Santo
Like Silva, Espírito Santo is a seasoned pro on our shores.
After taking over Wolves in 2017, he lead the team to the Premier League when they won the Championship in his first season.
Two consecutive seventh-placed finishes, as well as a good Europa League run to the quarter-finals in 2020 secured his legacy.
He left the club by mutual consent at the end of the 2020-2021 season, joining Tottenham that summer.
However, he was dismissed after just four months in charge – following a 3-0 home defeat to Man Utd, which was their fifth defeat in seven matches and left them ninth in the league.
Currently, Espírito Santo is doing a first class job at Nottingham Forest, who he joined in 2023.
After saving them from relegation last campaign, they’re now flying high in the top seven.
Bruno Lage
Lage came to the Prem with a Portuguese title winner’s medal in his pocket in 2021.
But it counted for nothing during his 16 month tenure at Wolves.
He ripped up what had been so successful under Espírito Santo by changing the team’s formation.
They finished in tenth place in his first season, after a disappointing end to the campaign which saw then winless in seven games, as Lage insisted on imprinting his own style on his side.
The following summer he was backed to the tune of over £100million, breaking the club’s transfer record with the signing of Matheus Nunes for £38million.
After a defeat to West Ham just three months into the 2022-2023 season, Lage and his team were sacked.
He said after that his team, “never lost a match with a striker in the initial line-up, [and] will surely improve as strikers become available.”
Carlos Carvalhal
Carvalhal proved his chops at Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship, until he left the club by mutual consent in 2017.
Four days later, he was named as the new Swansea City manager – following the sacking of Paul Clement – three days after Christmas.
He was nominated Premier League Manager of the Month for the month of January, after masterminding consecutive home victories over Liverpool and Arsenal.
However, despite those heroic performances, he couldn’t save the Welsh club from relegation.
He left the Liberty Stadium, returned to Portugal, and took up a job at Rio Ave.