Boxing days sees Ruben Amorim take his Manchester United side to Wolves on Thursday night to try and right some of the wrongs of the damning loss to Bournemouth last Sunday.
With Wolves getting in a new Portuguese manager (Vitor Pereira), there will be a bounce for his first home game at the helm. It won’t be easy for United with Amorim saying that he “just wants to win games.”
However, whilst things will take time, he knows that at top clubs “you don't have a lot of time and you have to win games." He adds that he has a “clear idea” of what needs to be done to resolve the situation but one of his main problems is to not have too many injuries.
This is the reason as to why we’ve seen so much rotation as it is not about seeing who beat suits his system. Amorim acknowledges that he cannot rotate much anymore but it is out of necessity given the injury concerns.
To the fans, the MUFC boss understands their frustrations after a very inconsistent start for him at United. "The fans need our help, not the other way around. They are doing everything right."
United are still in 13th as they were before Amorim arrived. The Portuguese says that it is a difficult situation but that he takes the responsibility: “it’s on me because I’m responsible for the team."
Our Portuguese manager knows about Wolves’ Portuguese manager saying that he knows that Pereira is a “very good coach” and that he understands what big clubs are all about.
The manager was obviously asked about Rashford to which he said that he speaks to him everyday. He’s also said that this situation has NOT been a distraction to the rest of the squad. “I'm really focused and they [players] know I'm so clear in my message.”
Amorim says that while it’s not a distraction for him and the rest of the squad, “Maybe he's [Rashford] for the media, but that is not my concern."
All the boss wants to see from Rashford and all other players is the best they can be. Once more, Amorim mentions how players can push their teammates and that those who’ve been at the club a long time have more responsibility to help the team.
He adds that it was “it’s my decision [to leave him out]”. Amorim is doing things his way and that if he doesn’t “I will lose myself.”
In terms of team news, Amorim says that De Ligt is sick and that he has to manage the minutes of Maguire, Mainoo and Hojlund who’ve all had their problems.
Final Thoughts
Let's just get the Rashford stuff out the way first.
I love the fact that Amorim is saying that Rashy is wanting to play but that he is the one making the decision to leave him out. This suggests that the player is ready to play but has obviously done something to upset the manager for him to leave him out so far.
These comments also tell me that Rashford won't be a part of tomorrow's matchday squad again, for the fourth game in a row.
The reports from James Ducker on Monday saying that Rashford wants to leave all but seals the deal that this really is the end.
I spoke about my thoughts on the manager's rotation. I feel that he is in a bit of a catch 22 situation because he may want to play certain players but cannot risk them because of injury, and he may want to rest others but feels he may not have proper replacements for them.
I'm happy that he's saying it's more because of injury rather than he is still trying to figure out who best suits his style. This tells me that he knows who is best equipped for Amorim ball rather than still being unsure about a settled XI.
As for us fans, I agree with the boss that there's no more we can do. It really is all on the players and coaches to give us a reason to smile about because we've been with the team through some tough times this season. Another 3-0 loss at home to Bournemouth was a hard one to take especially before Christmas so they better give us a reason to watch on Boxing Day.
I also like that Amorim is taking the responsibility for where we are in the table. He's only managed six PL matches and we were bad before he arrived yet he had no problem pinning it all on him.
This is something that Erik ten Hag very rarely did as he didn't often say that it was all on him for even specific matches . For him, it was more a collective problem rather than pinning it on any one individual despite him making major cockups at times.
Background Image: Ruben Amorim | Creator: Michael Regan | Credit: Getty Images via SuperSport