Roma Coach Relieves Pressure with Team's 1-0 win over Torino in Serie A

AS Roma's head coach Ivan Juric reacts during the Italian Serie A soccer match between AS Roma and FC Torino at the Olimpico stadium in Rome, Italy, 31 October 2024.  EPA/ETTORE FERRARI
AS Roma's head coach Ivan Juric reacts during the Italian Serie A soccer match between AS Roma and FC Torino at the Olimpico stadium in Rome, Italy, 31 October 2024. EPA/ETTORE FERRARI
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Roma Coach Relieves Pressure with Team's 1-0 win over Torino in Serie A

AS Roma's head coach Ivan Juric reacts during the Italian Serie A soccer match between AS Roma and FC Torino at the Olimpico stadium in Rome, Italy, 31 October 2024.  EPA/ETTORE FERRARI
AS Roma's head coach Ivan Juric reacts during the Italian Serie A soccer match between AS Roma and FC Torino at the Olimpico stadium in Rome, Italy, 31 October 2024. EPA/ETTORE FERRARI

Roma coach Ivan Juric may have saved his job with a 1-0 win over Torino in Serie A on Thursday, The Associated Press reported.
Juric had been under pressure after Roma was routed 5-1 by Fiorentina on Sunday.
But Paulo Dybala scored a first-half goal for Roma and the Giallorossi hung on to end a three-game winless streak in the Italian league.
Juric replaced the fired Daniele De Rossi last month.
Roma moved up to 12th while Torino remained ninth.
Fiorentina moves up to 4th place Fiorentina moved up to fourth place with a 1-0 victory at last-place Genoa for its sixth straight win across all competitions.
Robin Gosens scored midway through the second half and Fiorentina goalkeeper David De Gea made a leaping save in the final minutes.
Mario Balotelli, who signed with Genoa on Monday, wasn’t ready to play yet.
Also, fifth-place Lazio won 5-1 at promoted Como with two goals from Valentin Castellanos as both sides ended with 10 men.
Luca Mazzitelli scored for Como with a spectacular bicycle kick.



Amorim Says Future ‘Hasn’t Been Decided’ as Man United Shows Interest in Sporting Lisbon Coach

 Sporting's coach Ruben Amorim attends a training session on the eve of their UEFA Champions League football match against SK Sturm Graz at the Cristiano Ronaldo Academy in Alcochete, outskirts of Lisbon, on September 21, 2024. (AFP)
Sporting's coach Ruben Amorim attends a training session on the eve of their UEFA Champions League football match against SK Sturm Graz at the Cristiano Ronaldo Academy in Alcochete, outskirts of Lisbon, on September 21, 2024. (AFP)
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Amorim Says Future ‘Hasn’t Been Decided’ as Man United Shows Interest in Sporting Lisbon Coach

 Sporting's coach Ruben Amorim attends a training session on the eve of their UEFA Champions League football match against SK Sturm Graz at the Cristiano Ronaldo Academy in Alcochete, outskirts of Lisbon, on September 21, 2024. (AFP)
Sporting's coach Ruben Amorim attends a training session on the eve of their UEFA Champions League football match against SK Sturm Graz at the Cristiano Ronaldo Academy in Alcochete, outskirts of Lisbon, on September 21, 2024. (AFP)

Sporting Lisbon coach Ruben Amorim said Tuesday his future "hasn’t been decided yet" amid interest from Manchester United.

"Nobody knows if this was my farewell match, or if there will be a farewell match," Amorim said in quotes reported by Portugal’s sports daily A Bola after Sporting’s 3-1 win over Nacional in the Portuguese League Cup quarterfinals.

Hours earlier, Sporting released a statement to the Lisbon Stock Exchange, saying it has told United that Amorim has a release clause worth 10 million euros ($10.8 million) in his contract.

The Portuguese champions said United "has shown interest" in paying that amount for Amorim.

United is looking to replace Erik ten Hag, who was fired on Monday with the team languishing in 14th place in the Premier League.

Ten Hag was the 20-time English champions' fifth permanent manager since Alex Ferguson retired in 2013. United hasn't won the league since Ferguson's departure.

The 39-year-old Amorim has coached Sporting since 2020, leading the team to Portuguese league titles in 2021 and last season.

Sporting leads the league this season, too, having won all nine of its games, bolstering Amorim's reputation as one of Europe's most talented coaches.

"We have to wait a little bit more to explain everything I need to explain. It will be very clear," he said.

Amorim said he expects to still be in Lisbon on Sunday, when United hosts Chelsea in the Premier League, but when pressed he laughed and said: "I don't know."

He reportedly held talks with West Ham last season and was linked with replacing Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool before Arne Slot was hired.

Amorim is a former Portugal midfielder who spent the majority of his club career at Benfica.

His contract at Sporting expires in 2026.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was asked earlier Tuesday if he thought Amorim has what it takes to succeed in the Premier League.

"All I can talk about is the experience of playing twice against Ruben’s Sporting Lisbon team (in the Champions League's round of 16 in 2022), and the pressure was really, really good," Guardiola said.

"I spoke with (current City player) Matheus Nunes, and he was his player, and he speaks highly about him. And look this season, he is unbeaten and winning all the games in the Portuguese league and (in) the Champions League, (they have) the same points as us. So a high manager. I have the feeling that Man United, what I hear, that they are thinking about him, it’s because he’s a good manager."

Ten Hag's assistant at United, Ruud van Nistelrooy, will take interim control of the team for Wednesday's English League Cup match against Leicester at Old Trafford.