The 1:00 PM press conference at the Etihad was supposed to be about Manchester City’s upcoming cup tie, but the room was buzzing with only one name: Ruben Amorim.
Pep Guardiola, usually guarded when discussing rival managers, took a long sip of water, leaned back, and sighed. The news of Amorim’s sacking—and the dressing room revolt that preceded it—clearly didn’t surprise him.
The Secret Meeting at The Lowry
Guardiola revealed that back in late 2024, shortly after Amorim took the United job, the two had shared a private dinner. It was a rare moment of camaraderie between rivals, and Pep had used it to issue a specific, tactical warning.
“I have a lot of respect for Ruben,” Pep told the gathered reporters. “But I told him. I warned him about one specific player. I said, ‘Ruben, if you build your entire system around this man, you are building on sand.'”
The “System-Killer” Player
While Guardiola didn’t name the player directly, he pointed to the tactical data that suggested a “black hole” in United’s transition play.
> “In the Premier League, if your central pivot cannot cover 12 kilometers a day while maintaining 90% passing accuracy, your system collapses. I told Ruben this player was a ‘system-killer.’ He has the talent, yes, but he does not have the discipline for Ruben’s ‘Robotic’ 3-4-3.”
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According to Pep, Amorim’s insistence on starting this veteran player in every single match—despite the data showing a lack of mobility—was what eventually led to the “lazy” accusations and the squad walkout.
“He Wanted to Prove Me Wrong”
Pep explained that Amorim’s downfall was his own conviction. He believed his coaching could “fix” a player that three previous managers had failed to motivate.
“Ruben is a romantic,” Pep said with a faint smile. “He thought he could turn a Ferrari into a tractor to plough the field. He refused to listen. He kept playing him, kept defending him to the board, and in the end, that same player was the one who led the walkout this morning.”
The “Data vs. Ego” Conflict
The “particular player” in question is rumored to be the same senior figure who called Amorim “lazy” in front of the squad. Guardiola highlighted the irony:
* The Warning: Pep warned that the player’s lack of defensive tracking would force Amorim to over-complicate his tactics.
* The Result: To cover the player’s flaws, Amorim invented the “Synchronized Automation” (the “Robot” tactics), which eventually insulted the rest of the squad.
The Final Verdict
“Now look where he landed himself,” Guardiola concluded, gesturing toward the exit. “In this league, you cannot be stubborn with the wrong people. The club is bigger than the manager, but the system is only as strong as the weakest link. Ruben tried to hide the link; instead, it snapped and broke his career at United.”
As Pep left the podium, the message was clear: Amorim’s tactical genius was undone by a human error he was warned about on Day One.
With Pep’s revelation sending shockwaves through Manchester, fans are now speculating who the “System-Killer” player is.
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