Ruben Amorim warns Man Utd stars he’ll learn more about them vs Southampton than against Arsenal and Liverpool
HIS players won plenty of praise for their performances at Liverpool and Arsenal over the past couple of weeks.
But Ruben Amorim had a clear message for any Manchester United stars who might still be patting themselves on the back.
He will judge them on their performance tomorrow at home to basement boys Southampton – far more than for what they did at Anfield and the Emirates.
The new boss knows hardly anyone expected them to get anything away against two of the Prem’s superpowers – so they were effectively free hits.
By contrast, Saints are having a miserable season – just six points from 20 games means they are almost certain to go straight back to the Championship.
So now Amorim wants to see how his squad play when they are expected to go out and win – when the pressure is really on.
The former Sporting Lisbon coach said: “This next game will teach me more about my players than the last two.
“So I’m focused to see what kind of game we will play.
“There was no expectation for us in the last two games, nobody expected us to win but now they are expecting us to win and play well.
“So we will learn more.”
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Last time United played at home was 16 days ago and it was a night to forget as they produced a desperate first half and never recovered.
With trips to Liverpool and Arsenal to follow, people even started to fear for Amorim, even though he has barely got his feet under the table at Carrington.
Yet the way they earned two creditable results and produced performances to match has restored some faith – and Amorim says that has to be the standard now.
He added: “It’s my job to be worried but we have to face Southampton in the same way we faced Liverpool and Arsenal, that is the goal.
“Not more, not less, play that game.
“People expect us to win and that changes things – but that is the pressure we want. We need that pressure as a team.
“We have to perform. And we have to understand that the expectations are bigger. We have to have more ball.
“We have to control the game more and realise that sometimes is harder to play against these teams.”
Man Utd squad transfer verdict
SunSport gives its verdict on what Man Utd stars should stay or go in the first phase of Ruben Amorim's squad rebuild:
Andre Onana – Stay
Despite being guilty of some erratic performances, Andre Onana remains a world-class goalkeeper and United would struggle to find better in the market.
The defence has begun to look more solid in recent weeks now Amorim has had time to coach the structure into the team, and hopefully, that will be converted into clean sheets going forward.
Noussair Mazraoui – Stay
The best signing from the summer window so far, Noussair Mazraoui has proven to be everything Man Utd needed and more.
Versatile, reliable and passionate no matter whether he plays at wing-back or centre-back, it is a no-brainer to keep the Moroccan.
Leny Yoro – Stay
After a pre-season injury, Leny Yoro has taken some time to bed in but he has shown some superb moments in a Man Utd shirt already like his lung-busting run to block a Liverpool shot in the 2-2 draw at Anfield earlier this month.
At the age of 19 he will only get better and while too much expectation should not be thrust on him just yet, the early signs suggest he could be a mainstay in defence for years to come.
Harry Maguire – Go
The last time we did this list Harry Maguire was one of our main defensive options to be sold, but since Amorim has come with the back three the England international has barely put a foot wrong.
The issue with Maguire is that while he is perfectly suited to a back three, he will be 32 in the summer and has just one year left on his contract, so if a serious offer comes in he should regrettably be sold.
Matthijs de Ligt – Stay
Matthijs de Ligt has been very hit or miss since arriving in the summer. Capable of heroic last-ditch tackles like he did at Arsenal and also capable of some very silly passages of play like his handball against Liverpool.
In many ways, the Dutchman seems like a younger version of Maguire and given some more time to bed in he should improve even more.
Lisandro Martinez – Stay
Has really started to grow into the Amorim system in recent games after a very sticky patch of form.
He is one of the team’s best progressive passers in the build-up phase and has the dogged mentality this team will need to improve and claw its way up the table.
Luke Shaw – Go
It’s been said that one of the best abilities is availability, and that rings incredibly true for Luke Shaw.
World class on his day and is clearly still capable of finding those levels, as seen at less than full fitness with England at the Euros. But he is simply not available often enough to warrant keeping.
Tyrell Malacia – Go
Tyrell Malacia is still recovering his match sharpness from his two-year injury layoff, so it is a bit harsh to make a verdict on him so soon.
The current concern is that United will need to aggressively recruit specialist left wing-backs in the summer, and Malacia so far has not looked totally comfortable playing there.
Manuel Ugarte – Stay
Question marks were being raised about him after his first few games. But under Amorim, Manuel Ugarte has once again become the lynchpin of his midfield.
He knows the system inside out and is one of the Premier League’s most proficient ball winners. It would be madness to consider his sale next summer.
Kobbie Mainoo – Stay
Despite reports that Chelsea and Bayern Munich want to sign the 19-year-old, Kobbie Mainoo should be one of the few genuinely untouchable stars at the club and his contract situation needs sorting ASAP.
He has quality and aspects to his game not possessed by many other midfielders, and with improvements to the stars around him, he and Ugarte should be able to form an effective partnership for many years to come.
Casemiro – Go
Casemiro unfortunately seemed to lose his legs going into his second season at Man Utd. And with the 3-4-3 system demanding even more running from him, it is clear he simply does not fit the bill for what the club need going forward.
It would also help the club’s financial goals to see him sold due to his massive £375,000-a-week wages being taken off the books.
Bruno Fernandes – Stay
The club captain, Bruno Fernandes has faced a lot of criticism since taking the armband for his erratic decisions and losing his temper.
Yet he remains the best player in the squad by some distance and shows the mentality the squad needs to improve. Besides it’s not like United’s most famous captain of the Premier League era, Roy Keane, was exactly cool-headed.
Antony – Go
There’s a definite case to argue that Antony may be the worst pound-for-pound signing in Premier League history, with games too often passing him by and lacking quality when he is involved.
That being said, he has improved in a number of brief cameos when featuring as a wing-back under Amorim. But unless there is a plan for him to learn the position and become a specialist he should be moved on.
Marcus Rashford – Go
It was not supposed to end like this. Once the darling of Old Trafford and Carrington, Marcus Rashford’s comments admitting he wanted a new challenge were probably the final nail in the coffin for his Man Utd future.
There is a classy player in there if he can find the motivation to love his football again. A sale to a rival should be ruled out for fear of exactly that, while a sale overseas should be targeted and pushed by the club.
Amad Diallo – Stay
Has taken a real liking to his role as either the right No.10 in the 3-4-3 or as the right wing-back.
Amad Diallo has been one of the team’s best players this season and was rewarded with a new deal as a result.
Alejandro Garnacho – Go
Arguably the trickiest star on the list, Alejandro Garnacho has bags of raw talent to elevate him to being world-class. But recent off-field issues and poor form have doubt cast on his future.
If, as reports suggest, a major bid of £60m from the likes of Napoli comes in there will be a tough decision to make. Though it may be the financial situation of the club which ultimately tips the scale.
Joshua Zirkzee – Go
Joshua Zirkzee has certainly been hit-and-miss at United so far. He has had some games and moments where he has looked very impressive, and others where he is simply not good enough.
He has a very unique profile which makes him top drawer in the right system, it is just United will probably never play the right way for him to truly excel.
Despite the draw at runaway leaders Liverpool and the success at champions Manchester City last month, United have won only two of Amorim’s first nine Prem matches in charge.
They lie back in 15th place in the table after playing more than half of the campaign.
The challenge for Amorim is to stop his team being a soft touch – particularly at the Theatre of Dreams where they have lost five of their 10 league games this season.
He said: “We want to be a team that is hard to play. It’s like I had this feeling, especially at home in the last games, that we were easy to play.
“And we have to be honest with that. So if we face the competition the right way, we will be tough to beat for any opponent.
“So that’s what I wanted. That’s what I felt in the last two games.
“For me there are never excuses. So we have to accept when we had a bad performance or when the opponent is better.
“But in the small details, I think it’s really clear for everybody. If we are the same team that we were against Liverpool and Arsenal. We will be a better team against any opponent.”
While Amorim has been frustrated by his team’s lack of consistency, he admits it is on him to try to find a solution.
He said: “I’m trying to help them to understand that. But we have to do it as a team. But I think it’s clear.
“Everybody can see that in some games we are a different team. We have to be really consistent on that.
“I’m trying to do the same things – to explain the strengths and the weakness of every team.
“But against Southampton we have to perform. And we have to understand that the expectations are bigger.
“We have to have more ball. We have to control the game more. And understand that sometimes is harder to play against these teams.”
Southampton will certainly provide a different test for United as the manager accepts they have got out of the habit of being on the front foot.
He has studied matches from before he arrived and knows that for a long time now the Red Devils have been a counter-attacking team.
The only way that will change is if they work on it on the training pitch – and that will require patience.
He said: “As a team we are not used to spending a lot of time in the last third of the opponent. We have to have time to train that.
“I saw a lot of games before and we scored a lot of goals with Alejandro Garnacho doing transitions or Marcus Rashford.
“But then you see our goal difference is always negative and it’s still negative. And I think that is the biggest problem in our team.
“It’s the lack of goals and the lack of ability to play in the last third of the opponent, to control the games, to control more of the games.
“So we know that: We need time to train. We try to pass the information, but it’s harder for us to score in that way than in transitions.”