Every word from Ruben Amorim’s Crystal Palace embargoed press conference | OneFootball

Ruben Amorim says his United side “are being really soft”.

The Manchester United head coach was addressing the media in the embargoed section of the pre-match press conference ahead of tomorrow’s early kick-off against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

The first question was about Amorim’s three-at-the-back system. The reporter noted that playing with three centre-backs is a defensive formation, yet United’s defensive record this season has been poor. How does he explain that?

On being “soft near the box”

“It depends on the way you play the game,” he said. “Some teams play with four central defenders. I play with three. One of them is Luke Shaw. Sometimes we have Nouss and Luke Shaw. So we play with one center back. If you play with Amad on the wing-back, he’s not a wing-back, he’s a winger. So it depends the way you see things.”

“Then, if you see, again, if you understand all the data, we have some results of not getting a lot of teams in some games to get in the final third. But we are being really soft near the box. So we need to improve that. In the last games, especially against Nottingham, we took a lot of crosses. We didn’t press well in that moment.”

“Against Everton, of course, they were with 10 men. We cannot suffer a goal. We suffered the goal in the only shot on target. So that things also can change the way you see teams. But of course, we need to improve in a lot of things. We need to close our goals because we are scoring goals, not in the last one. So I think it’s an issue. It’s not about the defenders, it’s about the team and the way we feel the danger near our box.”

Asked what he meant by “soft”, he responded:

“When I say soft, it’s the goal of Everton. We are there near the box. We have more guys than Everton. We should be better, more strong on the duels. Crystal Palace is really strong on the duels. Every time one against one, when they have to defend, they are really strong. If we can take something from our opponent, we need to be strong on that also.”

The reporter then asked, at the other end of the pitch, whether Amorim is happy with the number of goals scored.

“If you think the way… For me, it’s not just the numbers, it’s Nottingham Forest to suffer two goals in two minutes after half-time, that is the concern. You are controlling the game against Tottenham, and you have the same amount of guys when they score. We are in the good position, but we need to be better, more aggressive. That is my biggest concern.”

“It’s not just the numbers, it’s the way you see the game and you understand if you are better in this moment, we should have more points and all the narrative should be so different. Imagine if we won the game against Everton, all this conversation would be completely different. You will talk and you will be here asking me about top four. One game, one shot on goal. We need to understand in this club, that’s why I get so frustrated in the end of the games, we need to understand that this club is different from any other club. So let’s do everything to avoid this.”

The next question was: “You mentioned before about there’s a pressure here to win every week, but also I think everyone can see that it’s a long-term project. You’ve only been here a year, you’ve only had one summer window. You’re talking about having different characteristics with players, which is obviously going to take time. How do you balance that short term, we have to win right now with letting fans know that it is going to take time to get the right players in?”

The boss replied: “I will say the same. I think it’s clear that it’s going to take time, especially now in Premier League, when every other club is really prepared for everything and they are improving a lot. Then we need to win now. If not, something is going to change, and we know that. We just need to be better. To be really specific, look at our games. Could we have won the last game? Yes. We should have won the last game. We had everything to win last game. We had the same thing with Nottingham. They were suffering and we were three wins. We have the game there and we didn’t win. Tottenham, the same thing. So that is my feeling.”

“For me, it’s the urgency of winning. It’s not good to be in Manchester United not winning. There is no time here. So that is the feeling that I have. That’s why I’m so frustrated all the time. So again, we know that we need time, but there is no time in this club. So let’s do everything to win games.”

Amorim was then asked again how concerned he is that things “might start to unravel slightly?”

He replied: “We just need not to think so far ahead. I say that because losing, I have always that feeling of frustration of being angry all the time. I don’t want to have that feeling. It’s so much harder, my life, when I have that feeling. Let’s not think… The same thing that I said when we were winning, that is in the past, and you guys were trying to push more for me. I always said the same thing, This is in the past. Everything can change. I will say the same thing. Everything we didn’t win the last one in the big club is a … Let’s win the next one. It’s going to be really tough, but let’s go.”

On Mainoo and Dorgu

Attention then turned to Kobbie Mainoo. The head coach was asked how close Mainoo is to starting a game, and what does he have to do? How close is he to starting a game for you?

“This is a team sport,” Amorim answered. “You talk a lot, I have more players in my squad that they want to be in the World Cup, so it’s a little bit unfair. I put Kobbie because he’s really good near the box. To have a guy like Bruno and him, they can find space is near the box and score goals. That was my idea. I will use Kobbie and the rest of them to try to the team to win. I’m not just focused on one individual. I want to help all my players, and I know how special it is for a player to play World Cup. My job is to win as a team and to focus as a team. Kobbie Mainoo is in the same situation the other guys. If I feel that is the best thing to win the game, I will do it. That’s it.”

The Portuguese was pushed on the issue of whether he doesn’t see Mainoo as a starter.

“I see him as a starter like the other guys,” he insisted. “I just have to make a choice, and then in the end, it’s not been Kobbie. But in the future, I don’t know. Again, I always think the same thing with Casemiro. Casemiro was not playing, and then he plays. I just want to win games. I don’t care who is playing. I just want to win games.”

The final topic was about the left wing-back role and whether it is an area the boss wants to strengthen.

“Guys, we have time to think about that. I don’t know it’s going to happen in January,” he said.

“What I feel when I see them training, they are doing so much better than in games. Then Patrick, when I see him playing for national team, he scored a great goal against Ireland. The decision that he made under pressure was completely different that decision that he’s making in our team. I just need to understand the context in trying to help them. I think they are far from the best, and they know it. Like a lot of players in our team, like myself. I just look at them and I think they have so much more to give. Let’s see. Let’s see this week if we improve that.”

In what areas does he feel Dorgu has to improve?

“I think it’s the decision,” he admitted. “He needs to be calmer playing the game. You can feel the anxiety every time Patrick touch the ball. I can feel the anxiety. I remember the shot against Everton. That was easier than the decision that he had to make when the guys from Ireland, Scotland, sorry, Scotland was there and he had a great decision. I saw it when he played in Italy. But again, here is different, and sometimes the pressure is hard.”

The first part of the press conference can be found here.

Tomorrow’s game kicks off at 12 noon, GMT.

Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images

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