Ruben Amorim says Manchester United are a massive club but not a massive team as he continues to try and turn around a group that need to “run like mad dogs” if they are to become winners.
A poor start to Erik ten Hag’s third season in charge last month led the Red Devils to turn to the 39-year-old, who immediately lifted the mood after swapping Sporting for Old Trafford.
Amorim followed a draw at Ipswich in his opening match with entertaining wins against Bodo/Glimt and Everton, yet he repeatedly attempted to manage expectations.
The Portuguese said United would “suffer for a long period” and then warned a “storm will come” ahead of Wednesday’s 2-0 loss at Arsenal – a reality check before hosting Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
“I think that is very clear,” Amorim said of the scale of the job. “We are a massive club, but we are not a massive team, and we know it. It’s no problem to say it.
“So, we want to improve, we are in a different moment from Arsenal, but you could feel it during the game.
“I think we have to believe more because we were not dominant in the game, but we had control in the game.
“Not so many chances for Arsenal – of course a lot of set pieces – but we were OK, especially in the first half. We had some good things in that moment, but you could feel that there’s so much to do.
“We need to be better in the final third, we have to create more danger, they have to feel it.
“I felt that Arsenal had problems to block our build up but then when they were defending the goal it was quite comfortable for them, so we are learning these things and trying to improve in two days.”
United’s problems mean they enter the weekend 13th in the Premier League standings – quite the sight for fans of a club who have won an English record 20 league titles.
Asked if perceptions around the club need to change, Amorim said: “That will not change because this club has glories in the past.
“Our players have to understand that this is a very difficult position, so we are not (one of) the best teams in the league, and we have to say that and to think that clearly.
“But our past, our club is maybe the best one in the league, so we have here a problem, but we have to focus on the little things, the little details.
“If you think in everything, it will be a problem. Let’s focus on the small details and then we will improve it as a team.”
Amorim has had precious little time to work on such details having started during an international break followed by a relentless winter schedule.
Saturday’s home game against Forest is United’s third of nine matches in December and came with a demand for effort on top of technical quality.
“It’s impossible to win the Premier League without a team like that – that every moment runs back, runs forward,” Amorim said. “It is impossible to win. If you want to win, we have to do it.
“Even with the best starting XI in the planet without running they will not win nothing, so that is very clear.
“If we want to win the Premier League, we have to run like mad dogs. If not, we are not going to win.”
Interestingly, Amorim’s comments come six years after compatriot Jose Mourinho spoke about United’s lack of “mad dogs” following a December draw at Southampton.
“It doesn’t matter about the system,” the former United manager said. “It has to do with the characteristics of the players and we don’t have many, with all the respect, mad dogs – the ones who bite the ball all the time and press all the time. We don’t have many with that spirit.”
Amorim will hope not to be feeling similar after facing Forest, having previously said he needs to improve the “physical aspect of the team”.
“The problem to be fit enough is if they can cope with that,” United’s head coach said. “If they are used to do that in training, they will do that in games.
“So, they are professional athletes, they can improve this. You cannot be faster, but you can run more with training. We are in that path.”
