5 managers who have fallen out with Matheus Cunha: ‘Totally offended’
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim will have his work cut out in getting his latest signing, Matheus Cunha, to knuckle down and follow his tactical instructions.
The mercurial Brazilian has earned his move to Old Trafford after an exceptional campaign for Wolves, in which he notched 15 goals and six assists in the Premier League. But he hasn’t always been the easiest player to coach.
Here are five of Cunha’s former managers who have raged at him in the past.
Diego Simeone
Shock horror but Cunha’s maverick tendencies weren’t all that appreciated by Simeone across his 18 months at Atletico Madrid.
And when he went through a rough patch in front of goal, failing to score in the first half of the 2022-23 campaign, the Argentinian had enough and shipped him out on loan to Wolves.
“There are those who are in charge because at some point they were important, they have their hierarchies and make the decisions, and then you also have to make yours,” Cunha explained.
Cunha’s dad celebrated his departure away from the La Liga giants and wasn’t quite so cryptic.
“In that Simeone system, there is no way any attacker can prosper,” Cunha senior told Brazilian outlet Globo.
“It’s very difficult. The proposal arrived, and they couldn’t say ‘no’. The owner & fans wanted him to continue, but they had to take advantage of it.”
Vitor Pereira
“He can be frustrated as he wants to win, but everyone in the dressing room wants to win,” the Wolves boss responded after a 3-1 defeat to Chelsea back in January. The result left Wolves out of the relegation zone only on goal difference.
“I don’t like this body language. I want someone, as a captain, trying to help the team – running, suffering and fighting all together. But this is something I can understand. Next time, I won’t understand.”
Cunha’s had his issues, but he evidently took the stern words on board.
Pereira turned Wolves’ fortunes around, guiding them to the safety of midtable, with Cunha playing a starring role in their strong second half of the season.
No bad blood, then.
Julian Nagelsmann
Manchester United famously didn’t listen to Ralf Rangnick when it came to his recommendations of Julian Alvarez and Luis Diaz, but maybe they’re finally paying attention now.
“Matheus Cunha is a highly interesting striker who, with his age, speed, and offensive drive, fits very well into our philosophy. Especially in finishing, he shows great qualities,” Rangnick said in 2018, after he plucked the Brazilian out of relative obscurity from Swiss side Sion as RB Leipzig’s sporting director.
Unfortunately, his manager wasn’t quite so enamoured with the attacker.
Cunha failed to score in 13 cameo appearances under Nagelsmann, who soon decided he’d seen enough.
The current Germany coach didn’t have a spectacular blow-out with Cunha or anything, and he saw fit to praise him once he found some goalscoring form at Hertha Berlin, but you don’t need to read between the lines to know he wasn’t impressed.
“He didn’t find his position here in Leipzig. Unfortunately, he didn’t convert many of his chances into goals. We agreed that a move was the right decision,” Nagelsmann said.
“If I were his coach now, I would be more satisfied with his performances now than I was when he played for me.”
Pal Dardai
A Hertha Berlin legend who made over 300 appearances for the club in his playing days, Dardai tried the good cop routine to get the best out of the undeniable talent.
The Hungarian likened Cunha to Ronaldinho, one of his favourite players, and labelled him a “genius”.
But even he had to speak his mind and lay down the law after a particularly low-intensity display in a 3-1 defeat to FC Koln in August 2021.
“In Germany, you can’t just stop working when you’re not in possession. Then everything falls apart,” Dardai responded.
“There were scenes that were absolutely out of order. As a striker, just staying up front, walking back. I don’t understand the world anymore. How does a footballer get into walk mode in 90 minutes? I don’t know.
“It’s my job to stop that. This is not youth football, but the Bundesliga.
“He’s a good kid. But I ask myself why things like that can happen during a game. I’ll talk to him, of course.”
Bruno Labbadia
Dardai wasn’t the only Hertha Berlin manager left dismayed at Cunha’s lack of application.
His predecessor was left absolutely raging at his performance in a 4-1 defeat to Freiburg in December 2020.
“Something has to change immediately,” fumed Labbadia.
“It’s unacceptable. He let himself and his team down with his performance. It’s very rare that I do something like this, but I’ll say it honestly: I’m totally offended.”
He was out of the job a few weeks later. At least he got a chance to speak his mind.
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