Ruben Amorim has moved to clarify his comments in the wake of Manchester United’s 3-1 defeat to Brighton, in which he described his side as “possibly the worst ever” in the club’s history.
Amorim’s comments came after witnessing their sixth home league defeat in 12 matches this season, and his focus was squarely on teamwork, not individuals.
The defeat, which left United in 13th place in the Premier League table, has United fans wondering how long it might take for them to see the benefits of the system Amorim is trying to install, with United’s players still looking deeply uncertain in many areas.
Amorim said before the match against Liverpool at the beginning of the month that his players play with fear. The 2-2 draw at Anfield and the penalty shootout win over Arsenal in the FA Cup that followed should have been a confidence booster.
Instead, Amorim said his players were still “very nervous” as Brighton recorded their third successive win in as many seasons at Old Trafford, days after an unconvincing win over home to Southampton.
Ahead of Thursday’s Europa League clash at home to Rangers, the Portuguese sought to address the fallout from his words following the Seagulls’ setback.
“First of all, I want to talk about it [his comment about this Manchester United possibly being the worst-ever side in the club’s history]”, he began.
“I was talking about myself more than the players, because you have to find a coach who starts and loses seven games in the first 10. So it was more for me, I was talking about me more than the players.
“I also spoke in the same response about how I wasn’t helping my players. And if you look around, every time I talk, and I talk a lot, every time you put pressure on the players, it’s not good enough, and I’m not making a point at all. On my players, so I understand, I gave you this address.
“And I get frustrated sometimes. And sometimes I shouldn’t say it that way, but it is what it is. And that’s it.”
“Sometimes it’s really hard to hide frustration in some moments. But the good thing is that I said the same things in a different way in the dressing room five minutes ago. So the response was completely normal, because I’m really honest with my players.
“They trained well, they are ready for this match and let’s see tomorrow.”
Amorim: I’m being really honest, and we’re doing very poorly
United have won just three of their 11 league games since Amorim took over from the sacked Erik Ten Hag, losing six of them.
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher dismissed the majority of United’s current squad as a “joke” but insisted Amorim’s comments could cause him problems.
talk on monday night football, “I don’t have time for this Manchester United team,” Carragher said. “I don’t feel for the players or their confidence – half of them are a joke anyway.”
“But I would be very surprised if the powers above him didn’t have a very strong say. You don’t talk like that as a Manchester United coach… When you’re in a really bad situation, don’t add gasoline to the fire.”
Were the comments intended to shock his players in life?
“I didn’t think, that’s why,” Amorim responded apologetically on Wednesday. “I’m young and I can make mistakes sometimes. That’s why I don’t like to talk after the match.
“I had to speak up and it was probably a mistake. Then I became more nervous and went into the conference very nervous. Then I said things you shouldn’t have said.
“And that’s it. Sometimes you’re young and you make mistakes. And you get better. I can’t promise I won’t do it again. I don’t know. So I’ll try to get better.”
Amorim insists that turning around the bad start to his term is a collective responsibility.
He continued: “I do not bear responsibility from the players.” “What I’m saying is that the message you guys showed is that I was putting it on the players.
“What I was saying is that you have to look hard to find a team like Manchester United in 10 games losing seven games. And that falls on me. Because the same players who are performing worse with a new coach.
“That’s my only concern at the moment. But I’m not taking anything from the players. What I’m saying is that we have to improve the details, and I explained that.”
“The way we play, we’re very nervous with the ball. Very nervous, really anxious. And then, if you have a little bit of experience in this game, when you get into that kind of context, it’s really difficult to come up.” .
“Especially when you’re at a big club. So that was my only point. Was it the best point to do it after that loss, the way I do it?
“Maybe not, but that’s the way it is. I’m like that all the time. So I don’t take responsibility from the players.
“I’m saying I’m really direct about things. I’m saying at the moment, we’re doing really bad. Our results are really bad at the moment.
“So everything, everything together. The players, the coaching staff, the coaching staff. So I take responsibility.
“I just point out that I am most responsible for performance and results, because I am the coach and I have this responsibility.”
Amorim: Playing at Old Trafford has become more difficult
The defeat to Brighton was United’s sixth at Old Trafford this season, and significantly the largest in their first 12 home league matches since the 1893-94 season.
United were relegated on that occasion after finishing bottom of the Championship, one of the few seasons that means their current team is not – at least statistically – the worst in their entire history.
Amorim believes his team are particularly struggling at the moment when playing in front of their own fans at Old Trafford.
“I think that’s clear. I can say different things and say, no, no, it’s the same thing. We have the support of the fans. No, we are more nervous when we play at home than when we play away, because we have lost a lot of games.” Games, like four games on five.
“So it gets more difficult. But we can improve. I think if we don’t suffer from the first goal, like in the fourth minute, and I remember it’s fourth minute, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, after that it will be really difficult to calm down.” Below the team.
“So the first thing in my mind is that they can’t score. We need to score the first goal. If we score the first goal, I think that will change and we will play better at home to start with.
“That’s it. I think it’s really clear. We’re really nervous about playing, especially at home.”
“And we struggle with goals and then it becomes really difficult. So I think it’s clear to everyone that playing at Old Trafford is becoming more difficult.”
Maguire: The compromise is firstly about a lack of mental focus
Amorim sat alongside former captain Harry Maguire in Wednesday’s press conference ahead of their Europa League clash with Rangers.
Maguire said he had no complaints about his coach’s style, and said the team bears responsibility for United’s situation.
There is no shortage of experience or quality in United’s squad, but that does not show in a team struggling to adapt to Amorim’s system.
There was a sense they were making progress after a 2-2 draw away to Liverpool and an FA Cup penalty shootout win away to Arsenal, but that largely disappeared after a poor performance at home to Southampton – saved by Amad Diallo’s late hat-trick. -Trick – before the loss to Brighton.
“If I could explain it, I think we would turn it around straight away,” Maguire said of United’s problems. “We have players who have played many matches at international level and won many titles in club football.
“But at the moment, we are not playing well as a team, and the league table shows that. So I can only continue with that. We have to take responsibility as players.”
But in particular, when discussing why United concede the first goal so often at home, the 31-year-old said: “You have to go into the game and be focused and mentally prepared to go and win a football game.
“Football games are sometimes defined by small margins, and at the moment we’re not getting those small margins because we’re not mentally focused enough to make sure it goes our way.”
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