Man Utd ‘Too Anxious, Too Afraid’ – Amorim”

Sporting CP coach Ruben Amorim criticizes Manchester United for their anxiety and fear during recent matches, highlighting the need for a more confident approach in their play.

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim commented that his players are “too anxious, too afraid,” and admitted that the team’s poor form has impacted him personally.

United are set to face Liverpool, the league leaders, on Sunday at 16:30 GMT, following four consecutive losses across all competitions—three of which were in the Premier League.

Since Amorim took charge in November, they have secured only two victories in top-flight matches and are a mere seven points clear of the relegation zone.

“You can see the change in my face; compare it to how I looked when I first arrived,” said Amorim, who has lost five of his eight Premier League games as manager.

Certainly, there’s a great deal of pressure. For me, it’s about both the pride and the performance.

“It becomes more difficult when we don’t perform at our best.”

Within an eight-day stretch during the festive period, United experienced a string of defeats: 3-0 at home to Bournemouth, 2-0 away against Wolves, and concluded with a 2-0 loss at home to Newcastle.

They haven’t lost four consecutive league games in a single season since December to February of 1979. The last time they endured four straight losses without scoring was in April 1909.

“They’re anxious and sometimes scared on the field,” Amorim commented about his players. “We need to manage that.”

On Friday, United’s Portuguese manager expressed that “we are in great need of leaders on the field” while commending defender Harry Maguire for recovering from challenging situations.

He added, “We need the leaders to step up and support others, and I am primarily responsible for enhancing our performance.”

You can see that the players are putting in effort, though at times they seem overly anxious and hesitant due to the challenging situation. We will support them in improving their game.

United, trailing 23 points behind Liverpool despite having played one more match, have not secured a victory at Anfield since January 2016 when Wayne Rooney netted the game’s sole goal.

In the meantime, United haven’t scored in their last five visits, with their most recent goal at this venue occurring in December 2018.

Amorim expressed optimism for United and their fans, stating that brighter days were ahead despite the team’s concerning performance.

“I’ll give it my all,” he assured. “I’m putting everything into helping the club, and we will succeed. I realize that may be difficult to see right now, but success is on the horizon.”

BBC