If Pep Guardiola couldn't eat, sleep or stop scratching his head during Manchester City's poor run, imagine how new Manchester United manager Rubén Amorim feels in the bottom half of the league after five defeats in six games .
“You can see it in my face, you can compare the way I arrived and now,” says the 39-year-old, who has been in the toughest job in English football for just 48 days.
Amorim laughs at his own suggestion of premature aging but takes the weight on his shoulders very seriously ahead of Sunday's match against leaders Liverpool, which United fans fear could end in humiliation.
While Guardiola, 14 years Amorim's senior and with grown children, often has to endure tough times alone, his United counterpart is glad to have been accompanied by his wife and children as he attempts to wake up England's sleeping giant.
'My family came on the 27th (December). “It was a good day,” he explains with more than a certain relief. “I have them here now, so it's different and it can help me.”
Family is key for Amorim and that is why he did not want to follow his idol, José Mourinho, staying too long alone in the Lowry Hotel where his compatriot lived for 935 days.
Rubén Amorim's Manchester United find themselves in the bottom half of the Premier League with five defeats in their last six games.
United face Liverpool on Sunday in a match that fans fear could end in humiliation for their team.
While Pep Guardiola often has to face difficult times alone, Amorim has his family with him.
Family gives Amorim perspective; has a sense of calm amid the hysteria that arises when things go wrong – a weekly battle these days.
It was one of the main reasons Amorim was unwilling to cancel the family day scheduled for last Tuesday.
United had been bullied on their own turf by Newcastle but, rather than apply that Pep-style pressure, Amorim wanted to take a different route. Thus, the players' wives, girlfriends and small children arrived to have breakfast with the first team and the coaches before watching the training.
The players, who sources said were encouraged by the presence of their families, then had fun with their children before enjoying entertainment that included face painting. He had a day off Wednesday (normal, no midweek games or travel) and sources talked about it as a timely “reset” time.
The optimism that reigned after Amorim's first game against Ipswich Town and the victories over Bodo/Glimt and Everton has been replaced by the fatigue and stress that comes with being 14th in the league.
Sponsorship deals require European football. The followers are restless. Respected football figures, such as Mail Sport columnist Martin Keown, believe Amorim's 3-4-2-1 needs to be modified to stay afloat this season.
But sources stress that Amorim firmly stands by its philosophy, and on Thursday there was an extra-long training session which resulted in Sky's interview with the boss being delayed by two hours. For the first time since replacing Erik ten Hag, Amorim had a week without games in which he was able to work with his players.
Coaching the players on set pieces, which they have been particularly poor at since assistant Carlos Fernandes took the reins; train players in positioning; drill players about their physical condition. This was the week that Amorim made no secret that he was desperate.
Amorim will not give up on his 3-4-2-1 system despite his team's poor recent run of results
This week he had a full week with his players on the training ground for the first time.
Fans fear humiliation when they face Arne Slot's high-flying Liverpool side on Sunday
This week, however, United held a family day, which it is hoped has helped lift spirits. In the photo: Harry Maguire with his wife Fern.
“There is no panic on the boss's part,” a source said.
While the charismatic Amorim is already very popular, he is also something of a smiling assassin.
Marcus Rashford and his £325,000-a-week contract have been thrown to the curb. He has been suffering from illness this week and is highly unlikely to feature in the team on Sunday.
Alejandro Garnacho learned the hard way not to mess with the coach after being fired for the Manchester derby after a show of dissatisfaction at Viktoria Plzen.
The Argentine is the top scorer with eight goals (seven before Amorim took over), but the new system does not suit the wingers and has also fallen below the standards Amorim expects. There appears to be a clearer path back than for Rashford, but the youngster remains a potentially mobile asset in the summer.
Teenagers Kobbie Mainoo and Leny Yoro are working for each appearance. Yoro has started only three games for Amorim, while Mainoo has started four of eight.
'It's really difficult. “It's supposed to be difficult,” Amorim said. And with Liverpool and Arsenal as his next rivals, he knows things are getting more and more difficult. Now, in the protagonist's eyes, is not the time to laugh.