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Ruben Amorim is quickly learning about his team at Manchester United and is close to finding the right formula to get the most out of his squad.
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim (AP)
Ruben Amorim believes he has to keep expectations in check at Manchester United after the optimism surrounding his positive start was punctured by a 2-0 defeat at Arsenal.
The Portuguese has had a rollercoaster introduction in his first two weeks in charge of the English giants.
A disappointing 1-1 draw at lowly Ipswich was followed by an eventful 3-2 Europa League win over Bodo/Glimt.
Everton’s 4-0 thrashing at Old Trafford last weekend was the first time United had won a Premier League game by four or more goals since August 2021.
However, the gulf between the Red Devils and those sides challenging for the Premier League title was evident as the Gunners eased to victory at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday.
United sit 13th in the table but are only three points off the top six.
“It’s hard because it’s very competitive this league and changes all the time with just one result,” Amorim said at his pre-match press conference ahead of Nottingham Forest’s visit on Saturday.
“Before this Arsenal game you guys were asking about the top four, and now we return to this position. Nowadays it’s like that.
“We have to manage expectations and at the same time when you have a bad result you have to be calm and continue to do the job that we are doing.”
Asked if the wholesale changes had helped him figure out his best starting lineup, Amorim told reporters: “You have an idea, but we have the problem of players returning without training; then we need to manage the load.
“You have to understand what kind of players you have. For example Bruno Fernandes, he was a little bit tired in the end against Arsenal but you know that he is going to recover very well.
“If you think about Manuel Ugarte, I’ve known him for so long and I know he needs a little bit more time. We are in that process of knowing the players and we are managing that. We are getting closer to an idea, yes.”
Improving In Some Certain Aspects
With games coming thick and fast throughout December, Amorim said he did not have enough time to impress his style of play on his players.
“We don’t have time to train our structure. It is hard to manage everything. We are improving in some certain aspects,” he added.
The Portuguese manager stressed the need for United to improve their work rate when out of possession, adding: “That is a key point for us.
“We also have to understand our supporters, in just two weeks and four matches, they just want to see effort. Then they want to see us win games. After a while with effort and winning games, they will want to see a dominant team.
“These are the phases that we have to follow. This one is the easy one, effort. Full sprint back, full sprint forward. Our focus is a lot on that.”
(With inputs from Agencies)