Every word of Amorim's pre-Manchester derby press conference

Friday 13 December 2024 13:30

Ruben Amorim has explained how he is trying to get his team to cover more ground, as the Reds prepare for Sunday's test at champions Manchester City.

Our head coach attempted to explain his methods during a press conference to preview the 16:30 GMT kick-off at the Etihad Stadium.

City's poor run of form, with only one win in their last 10 games, is not something that the boss is concerned about and he denied there were ever any conversations about him leaving Sporting for the Blues, despite Hugo Viana's impending switch from Lisbon to east Manchester to become City's director of football at the end of the season.

Ruben was also asked about his faith in Andre Onana and beating the Blues 4-1 with his former club, in the Champions League, before the switch to Old Trafford...

Ruben's press conference v Man City Video

Press conference | Ruben Amorim on City's form, his first Manchester derby and the latest team news...

Obviously Manchester City are in quite a strange run of form at the moment. Do you think this is a good time to be playing them?

"No, I never think about these things. We will face a great opponent and I'm more focused on our problems. So we have a lot of issues here, so I'm more focused on what we should do on Sunday to win the game. So I'm really focused on my team."

You said that Plzen is a team that can run. You keep talking about the need to run. How do you improve this at a time where you haven't got much training time? How do you get this Manchester United team to run in the way you want?

"Transitions. So tell them to run and tell them which kind of position they must have when the ball is in our box. So try to make some targets during training, during games. Try to push them to press, and if they don't have time to train, they can play in three days, so they can cope with that and improve on that. So it puts some small targets like some marks on the pitch telling when the ball is near our box, everybody should be near the box. That’s it. I think it's the only way to do it."

Do you think everyone’s reaching those targets?

"I think they are improving. And if you see the transitions, you see that I think we are improving on the speed. Sometimes, we cannot do it still, but we are trying and I can feel it in the team."

Ruben, before you became United coach, you were linked with possibly becoming Pep's replacement at Manchester City. I know you've got a close relationship with Hugo Viana. Did you ever have a conversation about the prospect of going to City at any point?

"Never, I never had [conversations]. This was my only option. When Manchester United talked to me, I have no doubts because I had already something in my mind that it could be a possibility. And with Manchester City or Hugo Viana, nothing about that."

You've had some great derbies, obviously with Benfica, or with Sporting against Benfica. How much are you looking forward to your first Manchester derby?

"Yeah, I'm really focused on the details. I just want to improve the team so I cannot live it like a normal derby, like it should be – two great teams fighting for the title. And it's not that in this moment. So it's just one more game with a very good opponent. Both teams are struggling in the moment, so I hope, in the future, I feel that real feeling of a derby. But I know that it's really important for our fans. But my goal now is to improve the team, win games and I will try to win this game."

Hi, Ruben. It was a difficult day for Andre at the weekend. He's obviously been involved in the goal again tonight. Have you any concerns about his form heading into such a big game on Sunday?

"Yeah we have to take it like it is. He had already, in the past, a situation like that. So we have to work on this. If you see the play, we are trying to build up a lot with the goalkeeper making the balls with Matta [Matthijs de Ligt] a lot of times. This time, we have a disconnect a little bit during the play and, when we try this, we suffered a goal, a difficult goal for us in the start of the second half. But we managed today, not like against Nottingham [Forest]. We managed to help Onana, like he did in the past for us."

Hi, Ruben. You mentioned there that both teams are having a difficult time right now. You obviously played Man City and Pep [Guardiola] not long ago, I think about seven games ago, with Sporting – a 4-1 win for you. Do you feel that on Sunday you will face a different, a weaker Man City team? A team in a different moment, maybe?

"No, no. The great teams can respond at any moment. And I think they are in a better place than us in the type of understanding the game, the way they play, the confidence they have. Even in these kind of moments, we have a lot to focus on our team. So our focus is total of course, we will have a strategy: try to win the game with the strategy like it should be. But we are focused just on our team."

I love a boring team news question. So I was just wondering how the squad is looking for Sunday. Any knocks tonight and will Jonny [Evans] be involved?

"I don't think so. It was five minutes ago, so I have to see it. But no, just some players were tired in the end, you could see it, also because of the transitions, it was a crazy game in the end today. But I think everyone is going to be fit and ready to win the game. [Jonny?] Yeah, he's training already."

Wear your colours with pride, courtesy of the United Store, with discounted shirts.

Back to Top