Thursday 12 December 2024 20:58
Ruben Amorim felt Manchester United speeding the game up eventually contributed to the 2-1 win over Viktoria Plzen in the Czech Republic.
The Reds fell behind to a 48th-minute Matej Vydra goal, after a stultifying opening half on a difficult pitch at the Doosan Arena.
Amorim revealed that he asked his players to increase their pace and movement in forward areas and he cited this, along with two substitutions, as primary reasons for the eventual turnaround.
Rasmus Hojlund scored twice in the final half hour as we secured our first victory on the road in Europe since March 2023.
Ruben also noted the fight shown by his players, and his desire to finish in the top-eight of the league phase, hence avoiding February’s ‘elimination’ play-offs…
Amorim: We never gave up Video
Amorim: We never gave up
Ruben Amorim says there is work to be done, but our head coach is happy with Thursday’s win in Plzen…
IMPROVING THROUGH THE GAME
“I think we improved during the game. We controlled the game in the first half but without any great chances. [There was a] lack of speed, lack of movement, controlling the ball. The pitch was difficult to make the connection with the strikers and the frontal support. But we controlled it, as Viktoria didn’t have chances either. The second half, we gave the goal away and then we react. We pushed the opponent into their half and then we managed to score. We couldn’t score before but a win in this moment is important. It’s important to look at the performance but a win is always better to prepare the next game.”
WE PICKED UP THE PACE
“The speed [changed]. I told the players that we need more movement in front because they have to feel that we are a danger behind, to use the space. That changed a little bit the game, but also the guys that came off the bench helped. I think we improved not just with the way we play but specifically with the speed of the game.”
SUBS MADE AN IMPACT
“Different characteristics put different things in the game. That can help to win games. You never know what kind of player you need in a game. Today it was Rasmus and Antony also changed a little bit the game. Everybody tried their best and we managed to win. Let’s go to the next one.”
HOJLUND GETTING BETTER
“He is improving. I think he’s nearer the goal now. He knows better the movements that he has to do. He could score more this evening but he’s scoring, he’s working, he’s controlling better the ball. He’s improving and the other guys are also there to change the game from the bench and they did it.”
PROGRESS TO MAKE IN PASSING
“We are improving in some details. We control really well the transitions and we are aggressive when we lose the ball. We need time to work on the possession, this team needs to spend a lot of time near the opponent’s goal and not just in transition. So we are trying to work on that but it’s good to win, to prepare the next game. It’s really important for us.”
WE SHOWED FIGHT
“We know that we need to win one game and they fought until the end. That was important. I think we deserved the win. We didn’t play very well but we fought and we managed not to give up. That was a key point for me and we are in a good place in the table. It’s really important we take those two [potential play-off] games from our schedule, to find time to work.”
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Thursday 12 December 2024 20:58
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