Benfica manager Jose Mourinho believes that football has changed since he began his 25-year managerial career.
Mourinho returned to the Estadio da Luz last month after he was sacked as the manager of Fenerbahce.
While he was preparing for a new season in Istanbul that never happened for him, he extolled the virtues of adaptability in an interview and argued that winning should be more important than making a name by sticking rigidly to a system.
"Today, there's no such thing as a single game model," Mourinho told Canal 11 in July.
Advert
"There are many ways to play. There's no longer a tactical system, there are many ways to build and defend.
"This means training in a much more tactical way, where players must grow and acquire new knowledge. The problem is wanting to copy and paste without the necessary conditions to do so."
Mourinho noted that long-time rival Pep Guardiola was able to identify when he didn't have the pieces he needed to play the way he wanted to play.
Not all managers have the luxury of jettisoning Joe Hart and bringing in Ederson, however, and Mourinho has little time for managers who get lost in their own theory and pay the price.
"There are coaches who try things that don't work and fail, but they say, 'I died with my idea.' If you die with your idea, you're stupid. Coaches have to adapt their ideas to what they have," said the three-time Premier League winner.
One head coach who could consider taking Mourinho's advice is Ruben Amorim, his compatriot and current Manchester United boss, who has remained bullish about his tactical approach despite results pointing him quite forcefully in another direction.
Amorim's formation, anchored on a three-man defence from which he says he will not deviate, doesn't appear to maximise the attributes of his players.
United have lost three league matches this season and were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Grimsby Town.
"Today coaches whose names I don't even know go to the Premier League, and I don't say that without respect, it's true," added Mourinho.
"Some coaches are chosen by dates, numbers, not by victories."
Amorim the ideologue
Now a year into his time in charge at Old Trafford, the former Sporting CP head coach has been facing questions about his tactics since before he even arrived.
The Red Devils finished in 15th place in the Premier League last season and every step of progress seems to be followed by an immediate setback.
Despite their struggles, the United boss isn't for changing.
Amorim said in September that "not even the Pope" would make him revisit his outlook.
Topics: Manchester United, Ruben Amorim, Jose Mourinho, Benfica
Chris Nee