Why Did Manchester United Sack Ruben Amorim? ...Middle East

Stat, Viz, Quiz is the Opta Analyst football newsletter. This week’s edition looks at Ruben Amorim, Brentford, and offsides.

New year, same unpredictable Premier League.

We’re less than a week into 2026 and already Chelsea and Manchester United have parted ways with their head coaches, Wolves have won a game, and Harrison Reed casually scored his first goal since April 2023 by walloping a 30-yarder into the top corner in the 97th minute.

It was a shock when Ruben Amorim was sacked by Man Utd on Monday, and in this week’s SVQ, we’ll dive into some data to try and make sense of it.

Arguably another surprise is how well Brentford are performing this season. Their 4-2 win at Everton on Sunday took them up to seventh, just a point off the top five. We look at the fine job Keith Andrews is doing with the Bees.

We have an Ask Opta question about offsides, while our first quiz of 2026 will have you wondering whether you should have made it your New Year’s resolution to cram as many footy stats into your brain as possible.

If you did, subscribing to us is a good start… but if you haven’t done so already, you can subscribe below for free to receive SVQ every Tuesday.

STAT – Where Did It All Go Wrong for Ruben Amorim?

And just like that, it was all over.

When Ruben Amorim arrived at Manchester United in November 2024, there was optimism that one of the brightest young coaches in the game could revive the great club and have them back battling at the top of the Premier League.

There were some moments where it looked like that could be the case, but they were closely followed by setbacks that suggested it would at the very least be a long road ahead.

On Monday, the club called time on Amorim, with former player Darren Fletcher taking over in the interim.

Reports suggest there was slightly more to it than just results, with Amorim’s press conference after United’s 1-1 draw at Leeds hinting at a bit of a rift with the hierarchy at Old Trafford.

On-pitch performances are what ultimately matter, though, especially when some of the numbers for Amorim were so damning.

The former Sporting CP boss leaves with the worst win ratio (31.9%), the worst goals conceded per game ratio (1.53) and the lowest clean sheet ratio (15%) of any Manchester United manager in the Premier League.

United aren’t badly placed this season, especially considering they finished 15th in 2024-25. Their draw at Leeds left them in sixth, only behind Chelsea in fifth on goal difference. It seems likely that the top five in the Premier League will again qualify for the Champions League this season.

There are also mitigating circumstances to consider, especially around player availability. The Red Devils have consistently suffered injuries to key players since Amorim arrived, particularly in defence. The now-former United boss used 25 different starting central defensive partnerships during his time in the Premier League – eight more than any other side in that time.

Whoever comes in next will be under the immense pressure that inevitably follows anyone in the Manchester United dugout, though you could also argue that their predecessors’ record will not be too intimidating to improve on.

It will be interesting to see what comes next for both United and Amorim, but along with Enzo Maresca’s departure from Chelsea last week, it goes to show that in the Premier League, the only thing that’s certain is that nothing is certain.

Click here for more in-depth analysis from Ryan Benson on United’s decision to part with Amorim.

VIZ – Bees Flying High

At the start of every season, it feels like there’s one established Premier League club who don’t quite look ready for the campaign. As a result, plenty of people suggest they could be set for the drop.

While a few did believe that team would be Wolves back in August, there were also a number of people who felt Brentford were set for a very difficult season.

It’s understandable why. They lost beloved boss Thomas Frank to Tottenham, with the inexperienced Keith Andrews taking the reins, while key players in Christian Nørgaard, Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa also left.

After an insipid 3-1 loss at Nottingham Forest on the opening weekend on the season, obituaries were already being written up.

However, while there have still been some bumps in the road, Brentford have done a lot better than many anticipated, with their 4-2 win at Everton on Sunday taking them up to seventh place.

Andrews has done a superb job in difficult circumstances and has the Bees competing in a way few anticipated.

A big part of their form has been the performances of striker Igor Thiago – who we’ll be looking at in greater depth on Opta Analyst later this week. The Brazilian’s hat-trick at Everton made it 14 Premier League goals this season, at least five more than any other player not named Erling Haaland (19).

Five of his goals have come from the penalty spot, but his nine non-penalty goals are also more than everyone barring Haaland (18), coming from just 6.4 xG.

Their home form has been key, beating teams including Aston Villa, Manchester United, Newcastle and Liverpool, while earning draws at the Gtech Community Stadium against Chelsea and Tottenham. Only Arsenal (28), Manchester City (25) and Aston Villa (25) have won more points at home than Brentford (21) in the Premier League this season.

They have been helped by penalties, with their five scored the most of any team in the Premier League in 2025-26, while their three goals from throw-ins are the joint-most, but it might surprise some to learn that Brentford were the last team to score their first goal from a corner in England’s top flight this season, doing so at the Hill Dickinson Stadium at the weekend.

Only four teams have attempted fewer than Brentford’s 198 shots, but they are seemingly going for quality over quantity. Their 0.14 xG per non-penalty shot is the highest in the Premier League this season. That’s long been a metric in which Brentford have excelled.

The middle of the Premier League is very tight, so in a couple of weeks Brentford could have slid down several places, but if they can beat Sunderland at home on Wednesday, they could make a strong argument for being in the race for a Champions League spot.

Who’d have thought it?

QUIZ – Wolves Win, Slot Struggles, and Enzo Equalises

We’re sure you had fun with our big quiz of 2025 last week. Now it’s time to look forward (well, back at the last few days, actually) with our first quiz of 2026. Answers at the bottom.

1. Who scored the first Premier League goal of 2026?

2. Wolves finally won a Premier League game this season when they beat West Ham at Molineux. Prior to Saturday’s 3-0 victory, who were the last team they had beaten in the league?

3. Malick Thiaw scored his third Premier League goal of the season for Newcastle United on Sunday, becoming the first German defender to score three times in the competition in a single season since who did so for Chelsea in 2021-22?

4. Liverpool boss Arne Slot remains winless in his three Premier League meetings with Fulham (D2 L1), one of only two opponents he has faced more than twice in the competition without winning. Which other team has he taken on three times without a victory?

5. Enzo Fernández’s goal for Chelsea after 93 minutes and 14 seconds was the latest equaliser or winner that Manchester City have conceded at home in the Premier League since who scored against them for Crystal Palace in a 2-2 draw in December 2023 (94:28)?

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Ask Opta

Our question this week comes from Rob L, who asks: “Can you tell me which team has been the best at catching opposition players offside this season?”

Do you have a stat-based question you’d like Opta to answer in a future edition of SVQ? Email us at [email protected] or message us on X @OptaAnalyst with #AskOpta and we’ll pick the best one.

Answer:

In the Premier League, Aston Villa are the team to have caught the opposition offside most often this season (57 times – 2.85 per game).

That’s ahead of Fulham (51 – 2.55 per game), Manchester City (49 – 2.45 per game) and Tottenham (41 – 2.15 per game).

Arsenal, who have the best defensive record in the league, have only caught their opponents offside 14 times (0.70 per game), the fewest of anyone.

Across Europe’s top five leagues, Barcelona are way out in front. The La Liga giants have forced an astonishing 96 offsides, an average of 5.05 per game. No other team in Europe’s top five leagues has an average of more than 3.63 per game (Athletic Club).

The fewest have come from Juventus, who have only forced eight offsides in Serie A (0.44 per game).

Quiz Answers

1. Who scored the first Premier League goal of 2026?

Jean-Philippe Mateta

2. Wolves finally won a Premier League game this season when they beat West Ham at Molineux. Prior to Saturday’s 3-0 victory, who were the last team they had beaten in the league?

Leicester City in April 2025 (also 3-0)

3. Malick Thiaw scored his third Premier League goal of the season for Newcastle United on Sunday, becoming the first German defender to net 3+ strikes in the competition in a single season since who did so for Chelsea in 2021-22?

Antonio Rüdiger

4. Liverpool boss Arne Slot remains winless in his three Premier League meetings with Fulham (D2 L1), one of only two opponents he has faced more than twice in the competition without winning. Which other team has he taken on three times without a victory?

Nottingham Forest (D1 L2)

5. Enzo Fernández’s goal for Chelsea after 93 minutes and 14 seconds was the latest equaliser or winner that Manchester City have conceded at home in the Premier League since who scored against them for Crystal Palace in a 2-2 draw in December 2023 (94:28)?

Michael Olise

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Why Did Manchester United Sack Ruben Amorim? Opta Analyst.

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