Ruben Amorim's Arsenal presser was conducted after United's draw against Real Sociedad in which he provided us with some interesting updates despite the quick turnaround.
Amorim is unsure about whether Ugarte and Maguire will return for Sunday's clash but did say that it is about survival for that game. "We need to survive Sunday." He says that his players were tired during the final 20 minutes of their first leg round of 16 tie in San Sebastian and that preparations will have to be done for Sunday before focus shifts to next Thursday's all important second leg.
The United manager speaks about having to "sell the idea" to his players in terms of how to not be anxious in front of goal and that it's about scoring the first goal which could lead to more.
"I'll be ready for everything after this season. It's a good thing." That was the manager's response after being asked if he's ever faced anything like what he's experiencing now in terms of injuries and overall time at United.
With there being planned protests at Old Trafford ahead of Sunday's game, Amorim says that "it's a tough moment" as everything is happening at the same time as he thinks it's a "good thing" because people have the right to protest considering what's happening at United.
He and his players can only control how they perform on the pitch with the United boss wanting to give the fans something to cheer about because "they deserve it."
Amorim explains what will make Sunday's game even tougher is the lack of numbers in the squad. He talks about how people had issues with the amount of rotation in the early parts of his reign with the Portuguese saying that it was to try and protect the players from getting injured.
Amorim doesn't believe there are many similarities to what he's facing and what Arteta had to endure at Arsenal in his early days before he managed to get the Gunners to where they are now.
United's head coach says that he feels "I will not have the time that Arteta had." While he said that it's a different club with different expectations, Amorim praised the Arsenal boss saying that how Arteta dealt with removing the big names and making Arsenal a force again is an "inspiration."
Final Thoughts
Honestly, don't even risk Ugarte and Maguire. If anything, bring them on for the last 20 minutes to get some game time because let's face it, the league is gone and has been for a long time. Arsenal would've probably beaten us with a full strength team anyway and as Ruben says, the second leg is all important so we cannot be using players against Arsenal that we will need next week. It's an unnecessary risk.
Play a second-string team.
It's either we're anxious in front of goal or the decision-making is off. I believe it is more the latter because we've seen that we have the ability to work the ball into decent areas but making the wrong choice is what results in missed opportunities.
Dalot not passing to Hojlund is a prime example.
I also agree that when that first goal comes, there is the chance for the floodgates to open, whether for Rasmus or others.
I suppose that when you have gone through as much as he's had to endure in just three months - although it feels like 3 years - then you will think that I've now faced everything and nothing in the future will surprise me.
I like this answer from Ruben.
Fuck yeah we deserve it. We deserve to see some good coming out of United. All we've seen for a long time is absolute shite. There's nothing positive at the moment and even the thing Amorim can control in the football, is the worst it's been for as long as I can remember.
I like the fact that he seemed understanding of why the protest is going to happen. He didn't appear annoyed at this. When I see that my manager looks to be on the same page as us and understands why protests are happening, it makes me feel more of a connection with him.
These protests need to happen not just for the club but for those players as well because they're stealing a living at United when looking at their performances. It's about time something happened and I'm glad that it's taking place before such a big game.
I was one of those that were annoyed at his constant rotation and although I understood why, I still thought it was too much. Now, it does make more sense as to why he was changing the team so regularly especially with the quick turnaround time from Thrusday to Sunday but considering our poor injury history, we probably would've had these issues anyway.
What Arteta did to get Arsenal back on track was seen as nothing short of remarkable and indeed, inspiring. To be able to get rid of some of their better players because of their high wage and questionable attitude was seen as foolish at the time but obviously in the long run, the Spaniard proved to be right
When Amorim says he won't get as much time as Arteta and that it's because they are a different club, he's right. While Arsenal are big, we are on another level as the expectations at United far outweigh that of Sunday's opponents.
I don't believe Amorim will get as long as Arteta to sort things out because I think people have already started to think he's not the man. Amorim has to try and sort things out sooner rather than later otherwise he will be another manager confined to the history books.
Background Image: Man Utd could be without Manuel Ugarte and Harry Maguire for Arsenal clash | Creator: Michael Regan | Credit: Getty Images Copyright: 2024 Getty Images via Man Utd News