- David Moyes’ rejuvenated Everton have leapfrogged Man United in the table
- Ruben Amorim has been criticised for being too stubborn over his tactics
- LISTEN NOW: It’s All Kicking Off! Can INEOS really be judged after 12 months?
Ruben Amorim insists he is flexible over his football beliefs, but admits there are ‘more problems than solutions’ at Manchester United at the moment.
Amorim has been criticised for being too stubborn over his tactics, especially a devotion to the back-three he used at Sporting Lisbon. But the Portuguese coach claims he can be adaptable as he tries to lift United out of 15th place in the Premier League table.
‘The first point, make no mistake, I just want to win games,’ he said. ‘I teach what I know. When I say I stick with my beliefs, it’s the way I train and the way I see football, and I try to transmit that to the players.
‘It’s not that I won’t adapt. We adapt. Sometimes we have short goal-kicks and then sometimes long balls because the opponent is pressing a lot. I try to adapt to the players that I have. My focus is to win games, especially in this moment.’
Amorim insists he can see improvement in United on the training ground at Carrington, but the progress is not always evident in games.
‘What I feel is that sometimes we don’t feel improvement in the team, but then you have some games that you think are more difficult and you feel that we can play and create situations. That is a good thing.
Ruben Amorim insists that he can be tactically flexible and he sees improvement in his team
Man United’s stars look dejected after their latest defeat, by Tottenham, left them in 15th place
David Moyes has won four of his six league games since returning to Goodison Park last month
‘But in this moment, when you watch the game you can see more problems than solutions, I think that is clear. When we play some games I feel that things are there and we are capable, but we have to be consistent.
‘What I see in training is they are improving and creating relationships. Even the sound of the training is different.
‘The sound is when in practice you are making an exercise you feel the sound; people are talking, asking for the ball, giving directions and talking with each other.
‘You can feel it in the environment. If you spend your life as a football player and as a coach, even the sound of the training is important.
‘I feel we are changing that but everything relates to the game on Sunday or Saturday so it’s important to use that in the game.
‘I feel that in training we are bonding and we understanding the we want to play, but in the game we struggle a lot.’
Amorim was talking ahead of United’s trip to Everton on Saturday lunchtime as he takes on former Everton manager David Moyes who has won four of his six league games since returning to Goodison Park last month.
‘So it’s an amazing job by David Moyes to recover the team,’ said Amorim. ‘When you watch the game you feel the confidence and belief are there. It’s going to be a really hard game.’
Moyes was the first manager to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson at United, and nearly 12 years later the Scot still casts a shadow over Amorim.
‘It shows it’s a difficult job,’ added the 40-year-old, who also held talks with West Ham last April over replacing Moyes at the London Stadium.
‘We have to try to understand the history. This club had a figure in Sir Alex Ferguson that you cannot replace. Everything was connected with one person, and when that person leaves it’s really hard.’
