The Southampton game will teach me more about the players after the Liverpool and Arsenal results
Ruben Amorim says Manchester United’s game against lowly Southampton 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 defeats to Tottenham, Newcastle, Bournemouth and Wolves followed.
And Amorim says he is looking for improvement in performances against weaker sides, where they are expected to dominate the ball rather than in big games.
The Portuguese coach said: “This next game will teach me more from my players than the previous two, so I’m really focused on seeing what kind of game we play tomorrow, so I’ll learn more tomorrow.”
Asked why he will study more, he answered: “Because there are no expectations from us in the last two games.”
“No one believed that we could do a great performance or win the 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 facing Saints, he said: “I’m always worried because we haven’t had consistency in these games in terms of performances or results so I’m always worried – it’s my job to be worried
“We have to face Southampton the same way we faced Liverpool and Arsenal – realizing they are different games.
“People expect us to win and that changes things. When you have 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 have to be ready for that pressure, we need that pressure to improve as a team and we have to face the game the right way.”
Amorim feels no pressure
Amorim has so far endured topsy-turvy terms since replacing Erik ten Hag, with the club currently languishing in 14th place in the Premier League, but insists he feels no pressure at Old Trafford.
He added: “Of course you feel the pressure of the club, but at the moment I don’t feel that pressure.
“We haven’t won the league in recent years. In the past here, if you didn’t win the league one year, you had to win it the next. I don’t feel that pressure.
“We’ve got to put that pressure on us because the away fans are amazing. I don’t feel that pressure, I just want to win. To feel that pressure going forward, we have to win – we have to win titles and we have to win games.”
