Ruben Amorim's decision that was 'football suicide' says Danny Murphy

Danny Murphy has accused Rúben Amorim of committing "football suicide" with his tactical decisions.

Manchester United suffered a humbling 2-0 defeat to Newcastle at Old Trafford. Newcastle dominated the opening 30 minutes of the match, with their midfield overwhelming United’s pairing of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen.

The selections in midfield raised eyebrows, and Amorim appeared to acknowledge his mistake by making an early substitution before the 40th minute, bringing on Kobbie Mainoo to inject more energy into the team.

Writing in the Daily Mail, Murphy criticized Amorim’s approach, stating:"I was at Old Trafford and could see the problem within a few minutes.

"By the time the Manchester United boss reacted, his team were 2-0 down, and it was game over. It was football suicide, and unless Amorim changes either his system or the personnel, performances and results aren’t going to change—particularly worrying as United are down in 14th."

Amorim has remained committed to the 3-4-3 system he successfully employed at Sporting Lisbon, but Murphy warned that the Premier League is an entirely different challenge.

"We know Amorim’s 3-4-3 worked extremely well for him at Sporting Lisbon, but the Premier League is a ruthless place," Murphy explained.

"Only one team has won the title here playing that way, and Antonio Conte’s Chelsea were blessed with outstanding holding midfielders Nemanja Matic and N’Golo Kante—who did the running of two players—and Eden Hazard, who made sure opponents were often more worried about him than going on the front foot themselves.

"United have none of those assets."

With limited funds available to Amorim in the January transfer window, he may have to rely on the players currently at his disposal.

The squad lacks natural wing-backs, and several midfielders are over the age of 30, which only compounds the challenges.

Murphy added:"I’ve been impressed by Amorim since he arrived at Old Trafford, but this was a first significant black mark.

"He must have known Newcastle are flying at the moment and his most energetic midfielder, Manuel Ugarte, was suspended. But the outcome still took him by surprise."

After the match, Amorim remained steadfast in his commitment to his tactical philosophy, stating that he was hired for his success with the 3-4-3 system and would not compromise his principles.

Amorim said, "I was hired for my ideas and my philosophy. If the club wants something different, they know what to do. But I won’t change the way I set up my teams—it’s who I am as a coach."