The Southampton game will teach me more about the players after Liverpool and Arsenal’s results
Ruben Amorim says Manchester United’s performance against weak Southampton FC will teach him more about his players after positive results against Liverpool and Arsenal.
The Red Devils ended a four-game losing streak with a 2-2 draw against Liverpool in the Premier League earlier this month before knocking Arsenal out of the FA Cup on penalties on Sunday.
United also beat Manchester City in December, but this was followed by defeats against Tottenham, Newcastle, Bournemouth and Wolves.
And Amorim says he is aiming to improve performances against weaker teams where they are expected to dominate the ball, rather than in the big games.
The Portuguese coach said: “This next game will teach me more from my players than the last two, so I’m really focused on seeing what kind of game we’re going to play tomorrow so I can learn more tomorrow.”
When asked why he would find out more, he replied: “Because there were no expectations for us in the last two games.
“Nobody thought we could have a great performance or win a game, but now they expect us to win and play well, so I will learn more from this game.”
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) January 15, 2025
Asked if he was worried about the Saints encounter, he said: “I always worry because we lacked consistency of performances and results in these games. That’s why I’m always worried – it’s my job to worry.”
“We have to play against Southampton in the same way we played against Liverpool and Arsenal – knowing they are different games.
“People expect us to win and that changes things. When you have the pressure to win, that’s the pressure we want and sometimes it’s harder to deal with that pressure because against Arsenal and Liverpool nobody expected us to beat those teams, but now it’s different .
“We need to be prepared for that pressure, we need that pressure to improve as a team and we need to approach the game the right way.”
Amorim doesn’t feel the pressure
Since replacing Erik ten Hag, Amorim has had a turbulent tenure so far. The club currently sit 14th in the Premier League but insist they are not feeling under pressure at Old Trafford.
He added: “Of course you feel the pressure from the club, but at the moment I don’t feel that pressure.
“We haven’t won the league in the last few years. In the past, if you didn’t win the league one year, you had to win it the next year. I don’t feel that pressure.
“We have to put that pressure on ourselves because the fans outside are great. I don’t feel that pressure, I just want to win. To feel that pressure in the future, we have to win – we have to win titles and we have to win games.”
