Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has pointed to his team’s tactical flexibility and diverse player options as a key advantage that could propel them to victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final.
United saw off Athletic Club 7-1 on aggregate to book their spot in the final, where they will come up against Tottenham.
Following United’s 4-1 second-leg semifinal win over Athletic at Old Trafford, Amorim addressed the media in his post-match press conference, sharing his thoughts on both the result and his team’s performance.”
The Portuguese coach said, “It was a good result. I think if you look at both games, it was so much tougher than if you just look at the results. We have so many weaknesses and you can understand that in the game. But we are fighting and we managed to pass. I think we deserve to be in the final if you look at the two games.”
Amorim acknowledged that while lifting the Europa League will not mask United’s issues, it could give the squad a much-needed confidence boost moving forward.
“I think that is clear, and the money is not the most important [thing]. Even the title, winning the title as a coach…it’s that feeling that we can do good things. The feeling that we can give something to our fans especially in this kind of season. So I agree, it’s not just playing Champions League next year…it’s that feeling that we can change things.”
Asked about Mason Mount and the massive grin he had on his face when the England international scored his second of the night, Amorim answered, “Not just me. If you look at the bench, that is the best feeling as a coach. When you look at the other guys on the bench and they are so happy for Mason Mount, because everybody in that dressing room sees him doing everything he can to be available.”
“He’s a really good player and you can see both goals, they’re really good goals. So I think, it’s not just Mason Mount, not just me, but also his teammates were very happy for him.”
Asked where a Europa League trophy would rank in his achievements, Amorim replied, “Every coach will say that the next one is the most important. I think the [Europa] title is more exposure, but I can’t say it’s the most important one. I think that your first one is the most important because you want to establish yourself as a coach and to win something, to say that you have a title.”
“But it would be massive, especially after the season we’ve had in the Premier League. For me it’s the most important because it’s the next one.”
Ahead of the game vs. Athletic, Amorim had said that United would need to suffer and they certainly did. On whether the Red Devils will need to suffer against Tottenham in the final, especially considering Ange Postecoglou has beaten them three times this term, Amorim explained, “Every year has its history. So we lost the last three games but we can win this one. If you look at the odds, we are closer to win than to lose.”
“Both teams are going to play like all or nothing in this kind of game. It’s quite similar and the position of the coach is quite similar.”
“I know Ange has one more year – it’s different the context but both of us are struggling. So I don’t know what’s going to happen. That is a good thing and a bad thing with this team. I never know. I will try to prepare for the game.”
“But I think we are improving and we have more solutions. You can see that we take off Garnacho, who gives us the speed in transition, for Amad. To have that possibility can help us win games. Mason Mount, Kobbie Mainoo…all these players we can choose from. It will help us to prepare for the final in a better way.”
“We have to understand the final is completely different from Premier League games.”
On his substitutes, Amorim remarked, “I think they changed the game and that is credit to the players. I felt that we needed more energy and we had to keep the ball. I think when you play with Manu [Ugarte] and Casemiro, we win in some areas but we lose a little bit in the way we push the team forward.”
“Bruno Fernandes is a really good player to drive the ball but also to start the play with long passes and that ability can help us. Amad is to change [the game]. I felt Garnacho was a little bit tired – my fault, because he did a really good job against Brentford but we also need to win Premier League games. It’s hard to think about everything in these kinds of games.”
“My thinking is always to help the team to win.”
Amorim emphasised that some of his substitutes are not capable of playing 90 minutes across both the Premier League and the Europa League.
The United head coach continued, “It’s going to be hard. Players like Mason Mount, we have to be careful. Amad is still getting his momentum. So some players are not capable of doing that.”
“We rested Nous [Mazraoui], but you can feel he doesn’t have the energy at the moment, so we’ll try to help him in that department. [Diogo] Dalot is doing everything to recover and I think they will push now to be available. So some players can’t play 90 minutes and we have to protect them, so they don’t get injuries [before] the final.”
United are back in action on Sunday when they host West Ham at Old Trafford.
Featured image Michael Steele 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!
