Ruben Amorim has explained his substitutions during the 2-2 draw at Nottingham Forest.
The Manchester United head coach was asked in his post-match press conference at The City Ground why he only introduced two defenders in Patrick Chinazaekpere Dorgu and Noussair Mazraoui as the Reds trailed until Amad's brilliant equaliser.
In a detailed answer, Ruben provided insight into his thinking in such situations and did not want to unsettle the rhythm of his side, as we ended up going close to taking all three points when another Amad effort was superbly blocked by Murillo on the line.
Here is what the boss had to say to the journalists...
What are your thoughts on the game?
“We lost control of the game for five minutes and we paid the price. We did some things well but I also think that our level of energy, we drop a little bit and, when our team drops a little bit, the energy, you can feel it. We can play well but it's not in full power. But my feeling is the players tried, they really tried and they tried during the week and they tried today. In the past, if we had this kind of bad five minutes, and suffer two goals, we didn't recover. Today, it's a different feeling and you can sense that we could not win this game but we are not going to lose. And that is a feeling sometimes a big team has to have. We had a big opportunity to win in the end. We drop, my feeling, two points here and should have done better.”
You mentioned the resilience, how has the team been able to build that?
“It's how to do it. I think, last year, we suffered a lot and we want to win games and overcome these moments. Now, we know how to do it. We just need to be inside the game until the final 10 minutes of the game. That is part of football. In the past, we could have lost everything, in the positions, in the way we play the game. Today, the feeling was not that one. So, I think we are improving in that aspect. Again, we did some things right but also the good thing is we have potential to play so much better and that is the goal.”
Would you have lost this game last season?
“Yes, by more goals, I think that is my feeling.”
Where is that coming from, what you're talking about?
“It's the confidence, of course. It's completely different and came from three good games and we have a different confidence. They understand better each other, we talk more about this and proved this year, we can have bad moments but, suddenly, we have three good games. Football is like that. A game is like that also. You have good moments, we score and you can sense we're in control of the game when the first half finishes. In the second half, we suffer a disconnect for five minutes and that is enough in the Premier League. We managed to recover from that and that is a good feeling.”
What was your thinking about the substitutions in the second half? Sometimes, you make five changes but, today, it was only two and two defenders coming on...
“Sometimes, if you put more strikers on, I don't feel we are going to play better. If you see Diogo Dalot, many times with space to make a cross but he has the right foot and is always coming inside, without space. With Patrick, we are going to do the same thing but, when you have the ball, got to the side and cross from the spaces there. Because, if you want to come inside, Matheus Cunha is always there to receive the ball. If you see the start of the second half, Leny [Yoro] is always the one with the space to run with the ball. Nous is a full-back so I try to use the characteristics of the player. It's not the quality because we have the quality on the bench. Also, if I stop the game all the time, I have the feeling I am going to break something. We were going to improve in the second half so the feeling was not to change anything. And I know Amad can do much better, he is really dangerous on-on-one so, sometimes, we expect it just from that one guy. He was not doing a great game for us but managed to score. He has the potential to do so much better and we lost two points today.”
“No, I do the same thing. If Mainoo and Mason Mount was there, also Josh [Zirkzee] and then you have to imagine the game. Josh is better like a little bit like Cunha, playing between the lines. If you see the game, we need a guy who needs to be inside the box. Ben [Sesko] is the best one to do that. Sometimes, it's the characteristics of the game and they know that it's just the moment. We try to do our best, it's nothing to do with the quality on the bench. We have a lot of games where that happens.”
Is this why you're not getting carried away? The team can still look quite weak defensively...
“That is because of everything. If you understand the moment, our team changed radically from the last weeks. It's just confidence and results and the way you see our team is a different way. I see the potential of our team in this moment and that doesn't change. Our job is to try to maintain the team balance and if you see the first goal, it is a gamble. I want Amad playing in that position but he's not the best one to defend the cross. I think it's better if we press high, if you have more guys in front to control the games better, but, if I have a different guy there, maybe he can defend better. That is a gamble, we try to do that, chaning the characteristics game by game. It's not just about the defensive aspect, also the moment of the team and the moment of our club, that is because of everything.”
Do you think the energy dip was because you're playing away from home?
“I don't know. I think it is, if you play nowadays, and you are there, and you play at Old Trafford, you can feel the vibe. That can help us in a certain moment. We need to regain that feeling of a big team, that it doesn't matter, the environment, we can control everything. We are not there but also, if you see all the big teams in our league, they are more comfortable playing at home. That is normal. What we need to do is put that energy in and, sometimes, it's harder to put it away but we need to push, from ourselves, that energy because our team needs to play full energy to be really, really good. If we drop a little bit, you can feel it.”
So the team is just more confident at home?
“I think it's just the sounds of the first plays. When Amad has so many transitions today, when they bounced the ball, when you play at home, you can feel the vibe of the crowd. It's why Old Trafford is so important for us, especially in this moment.”
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