Ruben Amorim thinks that Manchester United’s next game against Southampton will reveal more about his team than their most recent games against Arsenal and Liverpool.
The Premier League’s worst team will be the next opponent for United, who have lost their previous three home league games. In February 1934, when they were a second-tier team, they suffered their last four-game league losing streak at Old Trafford.
United has been strong away from home despite recent setbacks. They eliminated Arsenal from the FA Cup on penalties after a 1-1 draw at the Emirates Stadium and earned a 2-2 draw against Liverpool after falling behind 2-1. United played cautiously in these games, registering just 47.1% of the ball at Anfield and 29.6% at the Emirates, where they were reduced to ten men for approximately an hour following Diogo Dalot’s red card.
When expected to control possession, United has struggled to dominate games. In six league games with over 57% possession, they have only won once, drawn twice, and lost three times. During the pregame press conference on Wednesday, Amorim brought attention to this problem, saying that a large club needs to know how to develop play with the ball.
“I think tomorrow will tell us more about our team than the last two games,” Amorim stated. “The most difficult thing to train in one team is the way you build with the ball and, in the final third, the way you create situations.”
Amorim admitted that United had trouble scoring goals on a regular basis. With 96 goals, his Sporting CP team finished third in Europe’s top leagues last season, whereas United, led by Erik ten Hag, finished in joint-52nd place with 57 goals. United’s inability to penetrate defenses is demonstrated by the fact that they have took more shots from outside the box this season than any other Premier League team (37%).
Amorim emphasized that in order to compete for big honors, one must improve in the last third. He cautioned that in the majority of games, counterattacking alone won’t be enough. “We didn’t spend a lot of time during these games in the last third with the ball – we did it against Nottingham Forest, but we need to improve in that part of the game,” he said.
Future-Oriented
Although the manager is aware that playing conservatively against opponents like Liverpool and Arsenal may be appropriate right now, he is adamant about changing his approach in order to succeed in the future. “Against Arsenal we waited for the opportunity but in the future, you cannot play like that,” Amorim said. He emphasized that while developing a new look may take time, it will continue to be a top priority going forward.
Amorim is committed to improving United’s offensive powers and thinks that concentrating on this area will be essential to their long-term success.
