Amorim: Win will help us going into international break
Ruben Amorim felt his Manchester United players made the game more difficult than it should have been but their effort was evident in Saturday's 3-2 win over Burnley.
The Reds earned a first victory of the campaign courtesy of a stoppage-time penalty from Bruno Fernandes, after being pegged back twice by the newly promoted Clarets in the second half at Old Trafford.
The boss admitted he was frustrated throughout the match and there is plenty of work still to be done but believed the better team emerged victorious in M16 and the three points will help the team going into the international break.
Scroll down to watch Ruben’s post-match interview with MUTV, and read his comments in interviews with Premier League Productions, Sky Sports and BBC Match of the Day, as well as in his press conference…
Ruben: There's no way Bruno was missing
Ruben Amorim says he was calm during a chaotic ending, as he knew Bruno Fernandes wouldn't miss from the spot...
WE HAVE A LOT TO DO
"It is three points, if you look at the game we should solve it in the first half and control the game - but we are fighting to the last minute because of things we overcomplicate. Look at the first half, we have so many chances to score. You feel you can control the game. But one throw-in, one set-piece. I shook my head, because sometimes football is like this. This was a game we had to win, but we have a lot to do.
“It's really important but in the future we’ll find out. It’s three points. If you look at the game we should solve the game in the first half and control it. It’s never easy, we have to try to fight until the last minute. I think we overcomplicated it. For me, the most important thing is that no matter what happens, we try. Sometimes we play well, too open, too fast, losing possessions, but the effort is there.”
OPPORTUNITIES OVER THE INTERNATIONAL BREAK
“It will help us because we now have two weeks. Imagine two weeks with a lot of opportunities. Fulham in the beginning, the same [with] Arsenal: we try until the last minute and not to get one win would be tough on the team. It’s important.”
YOU CAN SEE THE PLAYERS’ EFFORT
“I was frustrated like any Man United fan, we had chances to score more goals, create more chances. Today, the football was fair - we were the better team. Some moments are really decisive. Sometimes we were not playing so well, but you can see the effort of everyone on the pitch wanting to win. If you look at the first half we have so many chances to score a goal and that can help us control emotions, the fans, but we are always doing this. One throw-in, one set-piece and at this moment it’s hard for us. I’m shaking my head, because sometimes things are really easy, sometimes not.”
WHY I DIDN’T WATCH BRUNO’S PENALTY
"I like to see the image of the fans. What has to be has to be. In that moment, I was thinking, it would be fair to win the game. And I did not think Bruno would miss a second in a row.”
A WORD ON POTENTIAL TRANSFER ACTIVITY
"I am always speaking with them [the board] to try and improve the team."
Amorim's update on Cunha and Mount
ArticleThe two Reds were taken off during Saturday's meeting with Burnley.
I’M AN EMOTIONAL PERSON
"I am really emotional, and in the last few months you can see why. I am like that, and you like that."
PROTECTING SESKO
“Everything is connected. So he finished the game [against Grimsby] with cramps, really in the limit and that’s why we protected Ben from the penalties and today was that reason also because Josh [Zirkzee] is also a striker, an international striker. But I was thinking that Ben during the pre-season didn’t do 90 minutes and he did that even against a fourth-division team. He did that on Wednesday. With the problem of Cunha, you don’t know if that full game in the middle of the week has something to do with the injury today. With the problem with Mason Mount, I was not risking another player not knowing if they are able to play so many minutes. So everything was connected - the penalty, the game on Wednesday and the number of minutes I was thinking for Ben today.”
NOT THINKING ABOUT TURNING POINTS
“The important thing is that we work. If you take Wednesday, we were more consistent in the performance compared to last year - that is a good thing. But I’m not thinking about turning points, I have this conversation with you guys like 10 times so it’s day by day. I’m happy we return sometimes playing really well or not so well. We return a little bit to the team that we should be - competitive, creating chances we need to score - sometimes we block the opponent in their half, we press really high so we have a lot to do but we return a little bit to our level today.”