'I'm always under pressure' - how Man Utd plan to restore 'good days'

BBC News

7 hours ago

Ruben Amorim used the previous Premier League game at Old Trafford to deliver the most difficult post-season address at Manchester United since Sir Alex Ferguson reflected on 'the most traumatic seven days in the history of the modern club' in 1992.Then, Ferguson was looking back on a shocking week, when his side lost three successive games to effectively hand what seemed certain to be a first league title in 25 years to Leeds with a game to spare.Ferguson had a sizeable straw to clutch at given his side had won silverware in three successive campaigns. As it turned out, the long wait to be champions was extended by just 12 months.There was no safe island that offered Amorim similar refuge on 25 May."I want to apologise for this season," he said. "Now, we have to make a choice or we stay stuck in the past. We either fight each other or we stick together and move forward."Today after this disaster season I want to tell you: 'The good days are coming'."Amorim has said he will be more cautious with his public statements over the coming months than he has been so far as United's head coach.It will be a shame if he sticks to this pledge because he speaks with refreshing openness and honesty, which is fabulous for journalists, and also engenders a hope for success from those who appreciate his direct approach.However, the problem applying spin about a brighter future when addressing a dreadful present is that the future eventually becomes the present, which is where Amorim is now.
How Amorim has adjusted to life at Man Utd
There are few clubs more scrutinised in world football than Manchester United."I am always under pressure to perform," said Amorim, as he looked ahead to the Arsenal game. "It is impossible to be here and not feel the pressure every day."Amorim has been United manager for nine months. In that time, he was won 15 games and lost 16, including the most important one, to Tottenham in Bilbao in the Europa League final.He has also been to Malaysia, where his team were booed off, Hong Kong and the United States. Tens of thousands of fans turned up to watch his side in each of these places. For every game of the double header in the Premier League Summer Series, an initially sparse crowd for match one turned into an attendance of about 50,000 for the second. That is the reality of life at United. The demands and the numbers of those doing the demanding - fans, sponsors, broadcasters - are enormous.Amorim now understands this and has made subtle tweaks to reduce the impact.He has put together a six-player leadership group - Bruno Fernandes, Harry Maguire, Noussair Mazraoui, Lisandro Martinez and Diogo Dalot - to run the dressing room so he doesn't have to.A conscious decision has been taken to reduce his media commitments - both internal and external - to allow him to spend more time 'on the grass'. Even the new media room at United's Carrington training ground has been strategically placed to minimise the distance from his office and the coaches' room close by.Amorim is by nature a jovial figure. A smile is never far from his face. This summer, that has transmitted itself to the training pitch.The word from the pre-season training camp in Chicago has been one of positivity. Players are encouraged to take responsibility rather than adhere to the prescriptive discipline of Erik ten Hag's time. Amorim does not have the same stern demeanour as the Dutchman, either when speaking with his players or his coaches.He is very much a modern man, engaging with fans and happy to take numerous selfies as he routinely stops to meet them at Old Trafford, sometimes two hours after a game has finished.Yet a code of conduct has been laid out covering a range of subjects, with timekeeping amongst them. Failure to adhere to group standards will not be overlooked.It was in Chicago where he made the startling admission he travelled to games last term fearing for what was going to happen.Asked for his current assessment on Friday, his response was measured: "Confident."I know in some moments we will struggle because it is a game against Arsenal [on Sunday]. But we are more prepared, I think."I feel we have more players who can help us to change the momentum of the game. We have more options. If things are not working well, we can change things. That gives me more confidence in every game."
What impact will summer rebuild have?
Amorim could be excused for thinking someone is having a cruel joke at his expense when he assesses an opening that starts with Arsenal at Old Trafford, includes a trip to Manchester City and home game with Chelsea in United's first five games, and then Liverpool at Anfield in match eight on 18 October.By that point, it will almost be 12 months since the dismissal of Ten Hag and assessments will be being made about what has changed.And that is the rub.United, led by chief executive Omar Berrada, went for an imaginative choice rather than the safe options - which included Marco Silva, Thomas Frank and Graham Potter - suggested by then sporting director Dan Ashworth as Ten Hag's replacement.Amorim came to prominence at Sporting by delivering outstanding results with a specific formation. Three central defenders, wing-backs and two inside forwards behind a number nine. The immediate collateral damage in shaping a United squad to fit that system was the discarding of five players - four of whom are senior internationals who prefer to play wide.The full extent of the additional impact Amorim has made by bringing in Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko, at a combined cost in the region of £200m, to fill the attacking roles remains to be seen.However, the intention is for skipper Fernandes to play deeper in one of the two midfield slots. How much meaningful time on the pitch is afforded to England duo Mason Mount and Kobbie Mainoo, whose contract stand-off remains unresolved, is open to question.At the back, team selections in five unbeaten games in three countries across pre-season, suggest Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt are battling for a single slot as the middle defender, while Luke Shaw and Lisandro Martinez, when fit, are vying to be first choice on the left of the three.De Ligt has proved adept at moving into midfield when United's keeper has the ball. This, Amorim reasons, clears the space for his side to get possession into the areas of the field where they can cause more damage. Fernandes' task, in Amorim's ideal world, is to get on the ball as often as possible, and then make the right decisions.It's all very technical. In theory, it also provides support in midfield, which tended to be completely overrun during Ten Hag's time because the Dutchman wanted to stretch the space in that area of the field, something Casemiro was not able to do, while none of those asked to partner him made a particular success of either.Casemiro's game intelligence, his ability to read situations and the Brazilian's calmness under pressure brought him back into favour under Amorim towards the end of last season.The 33-year-old does not have limitless energy but he was preferred to Christian Eriksen, who was about to leave the club, and, more significantly, Manuel Ugarte, who cost £50.8m to sign from PSG less than 12 months ago, for the Europa League final against Tottenham in May, which United lost.It seems Amorim regards finding an upgrade in this area of the pitch to be more of a priority than replacing goalkeeper Andre Onana. That Amorim talks a good game is not in question. Now his team have to deliver.The target is clear. Amorim has said European qualification is the aim. His players have said the same. More importantly, a financial outlook provided for the club by an external agency spoke about delivering a place in the Europa League at the end of this season as a stepping stone to a return to the Champions League in 2027-28.It would be unfair to judge United's season on one game, or even eight looking at that fixture list. But, as Amorim has previously said, he used up a lot of goodwill from the stands last season.He promised this season will be better. It has to be.