Which manager had the best record after 50 games

Manchester United minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has cited Mikel Arteta’s ‘miserable’ start as Arsenal boss as a reason to have patience with Ruben Amorim. But how do their first 50 games in charge actually compare?

“Ruben needs to demonstrate he is a great coach over three years,” Ratcliffe told The Business podcast.

“Football is not overnight. It’s three years. You also look at Arteta. He had a miserable time over the first couple of years.”

Arteta took charge at Arsenal in December 2019, with his 50th game in charge coming during the 2020-21 season.

During that time, the Spaniard won the FA Cup and Community Shield, but struggled in the league.

But Arteta has since turned the Gunners into legitimate Premier League and Champions League contenders and the faith shown by the Arsenal board is what Ratcliffe was alluding to.

The catch is, while Arsenal were a long way below their current level in Arteta’s first 50 games, their record was much better than that of Amorim’s United.

Arteta won 27 of his first 50 games compared to Amorim’s 19, giving him a win rate of 54 per cent to Amorim’s 38 per cent. Arteta lost 13 games to Amorim’s 19, drawing 12 to Amorim’s 10.

The goals scored columns are nearly identical, with Arsenal scoring 79 times to Manchester United’s 78 under Amorim.

But there is a big difference in goals conceded, with Amorim’s side having let in nearly 60 per cent more than Arsenal, on 76.

Arsenal also kept far more clean sheets, hinting at Arteta’s ability to make the Gunners more difficult to beat.

By contrast, United have conceded three or more goals on nine occasions, something that only happened three times in Arteta’s first 50 games at Arsenal.

Arteta inherited an Arsenal team that was 10th in the Premier League, lifting them to eighth by the end of the 2019-20 season.

Amorim inherited a United side in 14th place and ended the 2024-25 season in 15th, the club’s lowest top-flight finish since 1974.

Both managers reached cup finals at the end of their first year. While Arsenal beat Chelsea 2-1 in the FA Cup final, United lost 1-0 to Tottenham in the Europa League final.

In terms of transfer spend, Arteta mostly had to rely on loan signings and free transfers at first.

Thomas Partey and Gabriel were the only players signed for significant fees, with a total of £81.5million being spent.

Manchester United have brought in fewer players under Amorim but spent considerably more in transfer fees.

Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha, Senne Lemmens, Diego Leon and Ayden Heaven have all arrived for a combined £232.4million.

We’ve detailed the full stats below to test Ratcliffe’s claim that Amorim’s United will blossom into Arteta’s Arsenal.

Ruben Amorim

Won: 19

Drawn: 12

Lost: 19

Goals for: 78

Goals against: 76

Clean sheets: 8

Points per game: 1.38

Win rate: 38%

Loss rate: 38%

Goals per game: 1.56

Goals against per game: 1.52

Trophies: N/A

Mikel Arteta

Won: 27

Drawn: 10

Lost: 13

Goals for: 79

Goals against: 48

Clean sheets: 18

Points per game: 1.82

Win rate: 54%

Loss rate: 26%

Goals per game: 1.58

Goals against per game: 0.96

Trophies: 2 (FA Cup, Community Shield)

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