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Tuesday 25 February 2025 14:09
Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has held his latest press conference, ahead of Wednesday night’s Premier League match against Ipswich Town at Old Trafford.
As you can read in the Q&A below, the Portuguese was asked several questions about Monday’s club announcement. The boss also provided the latest team news from the camp.
Check out every word here…
Ruben, it’s the first time we’ve spoken to anybody since the club announced that approximately 200 members of staff are being made redundant, more cutbacks. You’ve spoken before about the responsibility you feel, do announcements like yesterday just drive home how important it is for you and your team to succeed?
“Of course, we have to address all the problems in the club but one important piece is to understand how we get to this situation. It has to do a lot with the lack of success with the football team. Because I think we are the engine of any football club. I just want to help my club in my department, it’s to improve the team and improve the players and to have success.”
I realise your responsibility is the first team but members of the staff you have to interact with are affected. How do you deal with that because obviously that can’t help morale around the football club?
“It’s always hard for everybody. They [the players] see their friends and their team-mate – as you can say – losing their jobs. But again we have to focus on what I can do to help the club in this moment and we as a club have to understand what we did wrong to get to this situation. We need to think in solutions in this moment.”
Part one: Press conference v Ipswich Video
Part one: Press conference v Ipswich
Press conference part one | Ruben’s media briefing began with questions about Monday’s club announcement…
Ruben, with the mood and the reaction to announcements like yesterday, does it make it harder to win football matches?
“It’s hard enough. We know that this year was really hard for everybody. We did, as a club, a lot of changes and then, when you are doing the changes, if you have a football team that is playing well and are winning games then, in a certain way, it’s easier for the fans and for everybody to feel those changes. But, in this moment, we are in a difficult period inside of the club and inside of the pitch, so we have to fight against this feeling and we have to do our job. We are trying our best, in this moment, to help the team to perform better.”
Ruben, still lots of negativity following Saturday’s result at Everton. There was lots of analysis at the weekend about your side’s lack of pressing in the opponents’ half and how your second-half performance seemed to be much better. What’s your analysis of that?
“It’s hard, it’s hard when we see the game. I know, you know guys, and even the players know that we had a lack of intensity. We improve, not a lot, in the second half but the small things – of second balls, we didn’t lose so many possessions without any pressure. We were more aggressive, even when we defend and when we are with the ball. We changed a little bit of the energy that we play football with, so I understand all the critics. If you watch the game you have to accept it and try to change that.”
Just in terms of playing at home as well, are you feeling more pressure at Old Trafford, given you’ve lost five of the last six league games? I mean, Ipswich Town, there’s an expectancy that you must win this game…
“Yeah, since I arrived, when I took the job, I expect to win all the games at home and you have that feeling. I don’t feel the pressure, I don’t feel it. Like again, the supporters are amazing. I don’t feel it. Every time you go to one game at Old Trafford, you feel the support until the end. Sometimes, you have one play sometimes in one half and sometimes you feel like the supporters want this so bad, so I don’t feel the pressure and we have to stop thinking about the last games. It can be a new game, it can be a new story, so let’s go forward and play the game.”
Ruben, might you have any players back from injury or do you expect to pick from the same squad?
“No, I think it’s the same. They are improving but nobody is recovering for this game.”
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Tuesday 25 February 2025 14:09
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