Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim felt “overwhelmed” as poor results piled up last season and is not entirely happy with their recent recovery.
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has admitted he often felt overwhelmed after taking over at Old Trafford last season.
Amorim took over last November following the departure of Erik ten Hag, but the Portuguese oversaw a dismal domestic campaign for United, which saw them finish in the bottom half of the Premier League for the first time as they finished the year 15th.
United reached the Europa League final, but suffered a 1-0 defeat to Tottenham, denying them Champions League football this season.
Amorim was constantly criticized for his stubborn refusal to change his system, while he regularly appeared pessimistic in interviews and press conferences.
It looked like the campaign would follow a similar pattern at the start of the season, but United have enjoyed an upturn in fortunes since the nadir of their EFL Cup defeat to Grimsby Town, losing just two of their last nine matches.
They sit seventh in the table, just one point behind the top four, allowing Amorim to experience very different emotions from those he endured last season.
Amorim looks back on Manchester United’s first season
“I felt like last year I was always overwhelmed by the games,” Amorim told Premier League Productions. “I didn’t have time to settle down, to understand that my job isn’t just on the field, it’s off the field, [it] it’s putting pressure on everyone.
“I felt like last year I was really emotional all the time, because I was struggling with the results.
“I always say it’s going to take time, but I’m the guy who has the biggest responsibility to take care of everything and control emotions better.”
United, however, missed opportunities to accumulate more points, losing 3-1 at Brentford and, in their last two games, dropping points after winning in 2-2 draws at Nottingham Forest and Tottenham.
Amorim’s side have conceded the most second-half goals (14) in the Premier League, but Amorim believes they understand the reasons.
“I think we’re losing intensity,” he said. “I think we had problems in some games, that we lost, I think twice, Casemiro, because of pain. Harry Maguire, the same thing.
“They are key players, not just because of the way they play, because of the experience they have, [but also] set pieces, and people don’t take that into account.
“I think we’re losing some [impetus] when we are at an advantage, we lose this ability to continue to press in the same way.
“There’s a lot of things together. I think we think about ‘let’s not suffer from a goal’. And our mindset should be like ‘we have a goal, we just need another opportunity to kill the game’.
“So I think it’s mental, but I think it’s also physical, so we have to improve in that aspect.”
Amorim expects tough test for Toffees
United face Everton on Monday as the Premier League returns after the international break.
Amorim secured a 4-0 victory over the Toffees in his third game in charge last season, but he is expecting a tougher game this time around.
“First of all, I think it’s a better team than it was,” Amorim said.
“They are really compact. We don’t see the results, you have to see the matches, to understand that 3-0 against Tottenham [shakes head]. If you see the game, it’s set pieces
“I think [Jack] Grealish is doing very well. He can push this team, can give weight to this team. [Iliman] Ndiaye is an extraordinary player.
“They can put [James] Garner as right back. But also [Jake] O’Brien, I think, will play, because of the set pieces.
“So, all these things, [it] It’s a more complete team and David Moyes is doing an incredible job. It’s going to be really, really difficult to win the match.
