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Tuesday 20 May 2025 23:28
Ruben Amorim provided answers to a variety of different topics in his pre-Europa League final press conference at San Mames.
Ahead of the big game against Tottenham Hotspur, which kicks off at 20:00 BST on Wednesday night, the boss was quizzed on whether he would operate with a false-nine, as Erik ten Hag did in last year’s Emirates FA Cup final win over Manchester City, whether there is need to play Champions League football to avoid more job cuts and why he does not appear to be facing the same scrutiny on his job as his opposite number Ange Postecoglou.
See a selection of what he had to say, excluding the team news for the crunch contest, in his briefing…
CAN THIS MEAN A NEW FUTURE?
“A new future, for me it is not the case but it is going to help us to finish the season, if people will look at our team in a different way because winning a European title is really important. But, again, it’s not going to change our season. The players know, everyone knows, the fans know, the staff know but winning a European title can help us have that feeling to build the future.”
ARE MORE STAFF JOBS ON THE LINE?
“Again, I think it is not the case. We are doing things that we need to do. For example, I came to the club, it was said in order to survive and buying players, you need to be in the Champions League and this is not the case. Or club can have revenues without the Champions League. It’s a big club, a massive club, with a lot of fans around the world. It is a big brand so we just need to be focused on doing things the right way. So I don’t see it like that, I’m always fighting for more than myself, for my players, my staff and, especially, the fans.”
THE DIFFERENT SELECTIONS LAST WEEK
“The advantage, I don’t know. You have to see the context. I don’t know the context of Tottenham. What I know is we had the last game against Bilbao, we had that game and then had to rest some players. We were afraid of some injuries but then had a full week to prepare for the game. I felt, with five days to the final, the big thing to prepare for the final was to give time to the players to play. I can’t respond from the side of Tottenham but, for me, it’s really clear. We need to compete and the best way to prepare for something is to compete. We had that feeling, we pushed the players at the end of the game against West Ham. I felt we should show something against Chelsea, that when we are focused, when we play our game, we can control any game. It was a good way to prepare for the final, that was the idea.”
WILL YOU PLAY A FALSE-NINE LIKE ERIK DID IN THE FA CUP FINAL?
“Our system is a normal system, it can change the characteristics. It’s not about playing with a striker or without a striker. Like any other that you can change characteristics but it doesn’t matter what happened in the last final because it was a different team, different competition, different context. So everything was different. I just focus on the way we play. The way Tottenham play. We had to better than the last two games was my focus, not the last time we won a cup.
GETTING BACK TO THE TOP
“I think it’s hard to speak about that in this moment. I need to be excited and confident. I already know the problem with a lot of things we need to change in our club, the way we do everything in the week at Carrington, the recruitment, the Academy. I think we need to improve but it’s hard to point to one thing. It won’t be solved by winning a cup. I will say it again, we have bigger things to deal with to put this club back to the top. Tomorrow will be important for us, for our fans, to have that feeling of winning that can help us have the strength for every job we have to do. We have a lot to do in our club, not just winning tomorrow but tomorrow will be massive for our fans.”
WHY AREN’T YOU UNDER MORE PRESSURE?
“I don’t know. I know that, in this kind of club, also in Tottenham, but especially in Manchester United, it’s strange to have some coaches here they lose some games and they are sacked. It’s hard to explain. I think people are seeing what I’m trying to do. Sometimes I’m thinking more of the club than myself, so people understand, especially the board. We have lots of possibilities in this context, it’s really hard. I don’t know how to explain how the fans like me in this moment. It’s hard to explain. I will try to prove myself to the fans and to the board but I don’t have an explanation for you. Again, I think it’s a good thing for me to never worry about that. It’s part of being a coach. The most important thing is to know what you’re doing and I explained everything. Again, before, when I explained about the storm and all the problems we have to the board. So I was clear. I won’t change my idea. They know they cannot say one thing that I said to get the job and then I change my mind. It was the opposite. I think the board can understand that, the fans can understand that, but we’ll reach a moment when we have to win. No matter what. So I don’t have an explanation for that.”
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Tuesday 20 May 2025 23:28
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