Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has insisted that his players are struggling to fully get acclimated to the demands of his system because of a lack of enough time to “train the routines.”
Amorim has endured a mixed start to life at United, winning just eight of the 17 games he has taken charge of since replacing Erik ten Hag late last year.
His preferred 3-4-3 formation has been the subject of intense debate since his arrival, with some critics suggesting that he should ditch it to accommodate the players currently at his disposal.
However, the Portuguese coach has defiantly emphasised on several occasions that he will not change his beliefs and will press on to the bitter end if it comes to that.
Speaking to TNT Sports Mexico, Amorim was asked about United’s struggles on the pitch. He responded, “Because it’s the start of work and the details may be more important. No, it’s not completely worth looking at the table.”
“We already know that everything that doesn’t end up in the first place doesn’t mean anything to a club like Manchester United. But at this point, we also have to have a sense of the context. So, I don’t look at the table.”
“I look at what the team is doing, the things we have to improve. And if we look at the table and try to win two games at a time, to go up the table a lot, I don’t think it’s going to work. So, at this point, it’s just thinking about the next game.”
Amorim added, “I think that we… I was watching Fulham’s game for the second time. The positions are there, but there are a lot of routines missing. There’s no time to train the routines. They’re trying to do it, but without the routines, there’s no aggressiveness in the moves. With the ball, especially with the ball. Without the ball it’s easier. There are a lot of rules without the ball. It’s easier to explain.”
“With the ball, it has a lot to do with understanding the space, what the opponent is doing. We want to do something, but then the opponent covers certain spaces and we, with the routines, we can see that the game is not like that anymore. It’s another way.”
“Without training, it’s impossible. I would say that they’re trying to do the positions we want, the idea we want, to try to have more ball. But obviously, a lot is missing. And that’s felt in the lack of opportunities. The lack of routines is very noticeable.”
“If one does the wrong move, it compromises the rest. It’s a bit like that. They have to read each other. If the ball is on one side, the one on the back of the colleague has to realise what kind of move he’s going to make according to the colleague in front. All of this takes a lot of routine. When there’s that routine, the games are much easier. There are answers for everything.”
Asked if the last few weeks at Old Trafford have been the most intense of his career, Amorim replied affirmatively, further stating that they’ve also been the most special ones.
He revealed he knew that it was always going to be difficult but the defeats have made things slightly more complicated.
Amorim thanked the fans for supporting him and the team even under extremely difficult circumstances.
Featured image Julian Finney via Getty Images
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Derick Kinoti
Derick Kinoti is a football writer at The Peoples Person who has covered Manchester United and the game extensively for many years. He is a keen analyst with expertise in SEO and journalism standards. Derick is convinced Wayne Rooney is the true GOAT and won’t hear otherwise!
