Ruben Amorim, the 40-year-old manager of Manchester United, recently met with Sir Jim Ratcliffe, along with key figures Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox, to discuss data pertaining to the team’s performance. The meeting came at Carrington just before the team’s important home match against Chelsea. Amorim acknowledged the unprecedented spotlight over his shoulder. His club team, Chelsea FC, has been having a difficult season thus far, winning just one out of their first four games.
As he spoke with us, Amorim jokingly suggested that Ratcliffe might have been in town to offer a longer deal. While saying so, though, he verified that an offer of a new deal from Ratcliffe was actually made. Amorim didn’t attach much importance to the meeting. He stressed that it was really just about solidarity and sharing of the club’s longer-term plan.
“New contract, he was offering me a new contract,” – Ruben Amorim
As fun as their conversations may be, Amorim knows how badly they need to be better on the field. His team is 14th in the Premier League table. They were recently soundly defeated 3-0 by Manchester City at home. Amorim noted, “We need to be more clinical. The number of shots and the xG are good, but if you don’t score, it doesn’t matter.”
Amorim’s third season as Manchester United manager hasn’t gone without difficulty, though. He fared poorly with a second-round exit from the Carabao Cup against Grimsby Town. No wonder, given that recent humiliating defeats to Arsenal and Manchester City have increased the pressure on his very future. On the attacking side, he told his team that they need to be more aggressive and decisive, and the same was true with their defense too.
“The way we suffered the goals, we can avoid that. We are being naive; we need to be more aggressive in order to win games,” – Ruben Amorim
Amorim has had a full week to prepare for the Chelsea match. He’s focused on getting more efficient in each box in practice. He stated, “We have to maintain the way we’re playing and improving in our box and the opposition’s box – that was the focus of the week. Particularly today against Chelski, when they do cross, they’re the team with the most players in the box.
Amorim spoke of his desire to see Lisandro Martinez back, as he gets closer to full fitness. Martinez’s absence has certainly made a difference and manager Torey Lovullo feels that Martinez’s absence has hurt the team’s catching depth and improved defensive performance. Despite recent disappointments, he remains hopeful about their momentum. On this last point, for example, he admits that there is much yet to do, but they’re in a much better place than a year ago.
“We need to be more aggressive in the boxes. We need to be more clinical. The rest I think we are improving compared to last year. We are in a better place,” – Ruben Amorim
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