Every word from Amorim's post-Southampton press conference

Friday 17 January 2025 00:32

Manchester United recorded a dramatic 3-1 victory against Southampton in the Premier League, courtesy of a late hat-trick by Amad.

Having gone a goal behind in the first half, and despite persistent attempts by the Reds to break down a stubborn Saints defence for the majority of the game, the occasion felt like it might be slipping away from the hosts.

Amad soon put paid to any such negative notions. His 83rd-minute equaliser was dramatic enough, but he topped it off with not one, but two finishes in the closing stages to claim a late hat-trick, and secure three important points for United in the process.

Amorim gathered with journalists inside Old Trafford following the game to discuss that whirlwind finish and much more. Keep scrolling to read everything he said...

Amorim: Today was really important Video

Amorim: Today was really important

Ruben Amorim says individual talent shone through for the Reds against Southampton…

Ruben, congratulations. What did you say to Amad when you got into the dressing room?

"I didn't say nothing. I will tell it tomorrow, that he has to rest, eat good food, to prepare Sunday, we need them again. He did a great job. It is a great moment for a young kid to score a hat-trick for a club like this, but he needs to focus on the next match because this is already in the past, and prepare the next game."

Did you think he, or your team, were capable of doing that when you get to 80 minutes and you're 1-0 down?

"You always believe. I have to believe. But with the chance that, for example, that Antony misses, then you have that feeling that, let's go again, a difficult night with our defence. Everything is so fresh, the three losses that we have. But we managed to turn things around and in the end, we didn't do a good game, but if you look for all the opportunities, I think we deserve to win. But we have to improve a lot."

You said ahead of this game you'd learn more about your players than in the previous two games. Well, having seen that, are you not very concerned? Because they seemed panicky, lacked composure, a bit desperate?

"I think it's not panic. In the first half, we were too late to every ball and we tried to press a little bit high, and we suffered with that. Mateus [Fernandes] between the lines, [Tyler] Dibling between the lines, [Kamaldeen] Sulemana with the pace. It's a different game from Liverpool and Arsenal. We have to stretch the team more. We let Leny [Yoro] all the time, one against one, with more spaces to cover, and we suffered more. So I think it's not panic, we need, and I need, to understand the game. Why are we suffering in these kind of games and not sometimes in the big games? Where we are more compact, more near the ball when we win the ball, so I pay attention to all the things. And this game was not the lack of effort. They tried it, but [Manuel] Ugarte was really tired, since the first minute, and you feel when he ran for the ball and tried to receive the ball, all that stuff. So, I look at the game, try to understand the game to improve my players and to help the team to be better."

But why is he tired? And I think you said generally your players are tired? Because the top professionals, surely should be able to not be tired?

"I don't know. I need to improve the training, sometimes the recovery of the players, I don't know. I have to help them, but after these two games were really hard on the team and sometimes we are tired not just [in] the body, but [in] the mind. But like I said, it's a different game. We have to press more. The space is bigger. We are uncomfortable in the game. And then if we don't manage ball for so long, we suffer, and we feel it in the first half. Southampton left three against three in the back and we couldn't use that space. I can see the game. I will watch it and I will try to help the team improve."

Sir Jim Ratcliffe was in the stands tonight. Have you had a chance to speak to him during his trip here?

"Yes. I had five minutes with him, to talk about different things, about the game. It was not good at the game, but, in the end, the result helped the conversation. So we continued with our job, it's a really difficult moment, but today was more important: the win. I know the fans want to see so much better football than this. I want to see so much better football than this, but we need time. Like I said in the first days here, to win time, we need to win games. We did that today, not in a good fashion, but we managed to win and we're going to prepare for the next game."

That pass from [Christian] Eriksen to Amad for the second goal was just fabulous. Will he get more opportunities play in the future?

"Depends on the players, the work that they do. He has the quality to do that kind of pass, and we need all the players to win games. So 10 minutes or 90 minutes, all the players are important to change the course of the season."

Amad wins Man of the Match

 Article

The Reds' no.16 made a vital difference in our turnaround win over Southampton.

Amad's hat-trick, 22 years old, six goals, six assists. What does that do for his confidence, but also the confidence of the whole club?

"The important thing is to win, and he helped us to win. Then he's doing a very good season. So, that's it. I already spoke about this, we have to be careful with the young kids. Was a really good job today. He has a lot to improve, but this game is in the past. We need to prepare the future. In the game, in football, the life is like this. So, congratulations to him, to all the team, enjoy tonight, is a very good moment and he needs to appreciate this moment, but, tomorrow, he's going to recover and we have to prepare for the next game."

And since coming into the club, since you've arrived here, have you put any expectations on any particular player at all?

"All the players, you have the biggest expectations for all. I'm trying to be really demanding with them. And on the other side of that problem, I also understand when they try it, but they cannot do it. I understand when the pressure of playing at home sometimes is harder than playing away. I understand that sometimes the demands of controlling the game, all the game, against this opponent, sometimes it's harder than to face a big team with zero expectation from everybody. So, I understand these kind of details and I will try to help them be better players and [a] better team.

And you mention controlling the game, how are you going to take this to the next game?

"It's improving what we did wrong in this game. It's a different game. Today was a game, man-to-man. The next game is going to be a completely different game, with a different team, with a different coach. So I will try to explain, in one day, what kind of team we are going to face, what we need to improve, and try to reduce that to two things. And that's it, to try to win the next game."

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