Manchester United are unbeaten in their last five Premier League games but Ruben Amorim wants far more from his players when they face Everton
Manchester United will be eager to get back to club football and extend the longest unbeaten streak of Ruben Amorim’s tenure at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils have gone five Premier League games without defeat, marking a significant improvement in the Portuguese manager’s first year in England. Wins against Sunderland, Liverpool, and Brighton propelled United from 14th to sixth place in the table, before they settled into seventh following 2-2 draws with Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur.
For the first time in a while, there seems to be a sense of optimism surrounding Amorim and his squad at United. A win against Everton on Monday would not only extend their unbeaten run but could also see them break into the Champions League spots for the first time in over a year, depending on other results.
Here’s all the latest news from Old Trafford.
Ruben Amorim
Amorim has noted a marked improvement in his team’s performances, which naturally leads to better results.
However, the 40-year-old is adamant that United are still in the early stages of their long-term development, reports the Mirror.
The appropriateness of his much-maligned tactical approach appears to strengthen with each passing week, yet he cautioned his squad that formation alone won’t be sufficient to secure victories.
Speaking to Stan Sport, he revealed: “We are playing better, but we are playing better because we have more confidence, and that starts with good results, for example, against Liverpool.
“We are getting better, but I can share my feeling: when we finished the game against Tottenham and I was coming back to Carrington, I was watching the game and my feeling was frustration, that we are far from perfection.”
He emphasised to his players that hunger, self-belief and a fighting spirit are the qualities they must embed within themselves to transform into a victorious outfit.
He continued: “We are far from being that team that can win every game.
“So I think we have a lot to do, but I also have the feeling, and I’ve been saying this for many months, that the formation is not the problem. The formation is the start of something, then it’s the dynamic, the confidence, the way we play, how competitive we are.
“If you look at the games we struggled in this season, it was not about the formation for me. It was the lack of intensity. We need to be perfect in this league to win a lot of games.”
Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s influence
Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s has previously sung Amorim’s praises regarding his character, but ultimately it’s results that determine a manager’s fate in football.
Recognising the time needed to restore the former English football powerhouse, United’s controversial co-owner disclosed last month that he would give Amorim three years to achieve that transformation.
“I remember the clamouring for Alex Ferguson to be fired in his first two years” the billionaire remarked on The Times’ The Business podcast. “You look at [Mikel] Arteta at Arsenal. He had a miserable time for the first couple of years.
“We’re results-driven at the end of the day, but we have to be patient and we have to see through the results. I think there’s lots of good things at Manchester United. We have to be patient and we have a long-term plan. It isn’t a light switch. Ruben needs to demonstrate that he’s a great coach over three years.”
Publicly guaranteeing a specific timeframe to any manager represents a risky strategy, but it’s a choice that has proved beneficial, according to Amorim. Speaking further with Stan Sport, he revealed Ratcliffe’s remarks had a “huge” impact on the squad, explaining: “But if you remember when Jim gave that interview, that settled down a lot around the club.
“The noise around the club changed completely. So that was really important for the team and if it’s really important for the team, its really important for me. Those words had a huge impact. Not the way I do things but the way people see what we are doing so it was massive for us.”
Mbeumo’s Salah comparison
Bryan Mbeumo’s £71million summer switch followed a stellar campaign where he netted 20 league strikes for Brentford.
Following a sluggish start to this term, the 26-year-old has rediscovered his scoring touch with six goals, four of which have come in his previous four Premier League outings.
Operating as a left-flanked attacking threat, parallels with Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah have been drawn previously, but Owen Hargreaves reckons the comparison holds water due to the Cameroonian’s composure in crucial moments.
The former United midfielder said of Mbeumo: “I think his biggest attribute is that he gives real quality. He reminds me of Mohamed Salah in and around the box. When he gets the ball, he has a clear picture of exactly what he wants to do. Whether the finish is near post or back post, he almost shows no emotion.”
Hargreaves continued: “It’s just business in and around the box, and I love that. You can play it into his feet, he can dribble. [Peter] Crouch mentioned his touch and how sharp he is but technically, I don’t think he gets enough credit.
“People talk about his goal-scoring and rightly so, but he is an exceptional football player.”
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