Amorim clarifies 'worst-ever Man Utd comment' – I'm young, I make mistakes

Ruben Amorim has moved to clarify his comments in the aftermath of Manchester United’s 3-1 defeat by Brighton in which he described his side as ‘maybe, the worst-ever’ in the club’s history.

Amorim’s comments came after watching them to slump to a sixth home league defeat in 12 this season, and his focus was squarely on the collective rather than individuals.

A defeat that leaves United 13th in the Premier League table has United fans wondering how much longer it might take for them to see the benefits of the system Amorim is trying to install, with United’s players still looking deeply uncertain in several areas.

Amorim said before the game against Liverpool at the start of the month that his players were playing with fear. The 2-2 draw at Anfield and the penalty shootout win over Arsenal in the FA Cup that followed should have boosted confidence.

Instead, Amorim said his players were still “really nervous” as Brighton secured a third straight victory in as many seasons at Old Trafford, days after an unconvincing home win over Southampton.

Ahead of Thursday’s Europa League encounter at home to Rangers, the Portuguese has looked to address the fall-out to his words following the Seagulls setback.

“First of all, I want to talk about that [his comment about this Manchester United possibly being the worst-ever side in the club’s history],” he began.

“I was talking more for myself than from my players, because you have to find out a coach that starts a job and loses seven games in the first 10. So it’s more for me, I was talking more about me than the players.

“I also talked in the same response about I was not helping my players. And if you look around, every time I speak, and I speak a lot, every time you push about the players are not good enough, I never put the spot on my players. So I understand, I gave you that headline.

“And I’m frustrated sometimes. And sometimes I should not say that in that terms, but it is what it is. And that’s it.

“Sometimes it’s really hard to hide the frustration in some moments. But the good thing is that I said the same things in a different way in the dressing room five minutes before. So the response was quite normal, because I’m really blunt with my players.

“And they trained well, they are ready for this game and let’s see tomorrow.”

Amorim: I am really direct – we are performing really badly

United have won only three of their 11 league games since Amorim started work as successor to the sacked Erik ten Hag, losing six of them.

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher dismissed the majority of the current United side as a “joke” but insisted Amorim’s comments could get him into trouble.

Speaking on Monday Night Football, Carragher said: “I’ve got no time for this Manchester United team. I don’t feel the players or their confidence – half of them are a joke anyway.

“But I’d be very surprised if the powers that be above him won’t be having a very strong word. You don’t speak like that as a Manchester United manager…when you’re in a very poor situation, you don’t pour petrol on the flames.”

So were the comments designed to shock his players into life?

“I didn’t think, that’s why,” an apologetic Amorim responded on Wednesday. “I am a young guy and sometimes I can make mistakes. That’s why I don’t like to talk after the game.

“I had to talk and maybe it was a mistake. And then I get more nervous and go to the conference really nervous. And then you said things that you shouldn’t say.

“And that’s it. Sometimes you are a young guy and do mistakes. And you improve. I don’t promise you that I will not do it again. I don’t know. So I will try to improve.”

Amorim insists it is a collective responsibility to turn around the poor start to his tenure.

“I’m not taking responsibility from the players,” he continued. “What I’m saying is that the message that you guys showed was that I was putting it on the players.

“What I was saying is that you have to look really hard to find a team like Manchester United in 10 games that lose seven games. And that is on me. Because it’s the same players doing worse with a new coach.

“That’s my only concern at the moment. But I’m not taking anything from the players. What I’m saying is that we have to improve in the details, and I explained that.

“The way we play, we are too nervous with the ball. Too nervous, really anxious. And then, if you have a little bit of experience in this game, when you fall in this type of context, it’s really hard to go up.

“Especially when you are in a massive club. So that was my only point. Was it the best point to do it after that loss, in the way I do it?

“Maybe not, but it is what it is. And I’m like that all the time. So I’m not taking responsibility from the players.

“I’m saying, I’m really, really direct in things. I’m saying in this moment, we are performing really bad. And our results are really bad in the moment.

“So it’s everything, everything together. The players, the staff, the technical staff. So I’m taking responsibility.

“I’m just pointing that I’m the biggest responsible of the performance and the results, because I’m the coach and I have that responsibility.”

Amorim: It is becoming harder to play at Old Trafford

Defeat to Brighton was United’s sixth at Old Trafford this season, remarkably the most in their opening 12 home league games since the 1893-94 season.

United were relegated on that occasion after finishing bottom of the First Division, one of a handful of seasons that mean their current side is not – statistically at least – the worst in their entire history.

Amorim believes his side are suffering in particular right now when playing in front of their own supporters at Old Trafford.

“I think that is clear. I could say different things and say, no, no, it’s the same thing. We have the support of the fans. No, we are more nervous playing at home than away, because we lost a lot of games, like four games in five.

“So it’s getting harder. But we can improve. I think if we don’t suffer the first goal, like in the fourth minute, and I remember, it’s fourth minute, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, and then it’s really hard to calm down the team.

“So the first thing in my mind is they cannot score. We need to score the first one. If we score the first one, I think that will change and we will play better at home in the beginning.

“So that’s it. I think it’s really clear. We are really anxious playing, especially at home.

“And we are suffering goals and then it’s really hard. So I think it’s clear for everybody that it’s getting harder to play at Old Trafford.”

Analysis: Amorim admits mistake as honesty message made

Sky Sports News’ Ben Ransom at Carrington:

Ruben Amorim knows the power of words and how they carry further when you’re the head coach of Manchester United.

A few weeks ago, he warned United fans that a storm was coming, and on Sunday after a fourth defeat in five home matches he gave us the ‘box-office’ headline about this United team potentially being ‘the worst in the history of the club’.

On Wednesday, he was expecting to have to explain those comments and he got the opportunity right at the start of the press conference when I asked him how his words had landed with the players.

He was at pains to clarify that he was talking about himself and his own record, rather than trying to criticise his players for another below-par performance.

The fascinating dynamic in hearing him speak was that Harry Maguire, himself no stranger to a critical line of questioning, was sat at the same press-conference table.

Maguire nodded in apparent agreement as Amorim sought to row back on some of the things he said in the heat of yet another Old Trafford defeat, all the while trying to get the message across that they have to do better.

A string of difficult questions followed to both head coach and former captain, and the united message was one of apparent honesty.

Amorim’s biggest admission came when he said he’d made a mistake in the way he spoke to his players in the dressing room directly after the Brighton loss, putting it down to the emotions of youth.

He’ll hope to be in a position to offer more positive words following the next Old Trafford assignment, in the Europa League against Rangers on Thursday night.

Maguire: Conceding first is about not being mentally focused

Maguire said he had no complaints regarding his head coach’s approach, and said it was on the squad to take responsibility for United’s situation.

There is no shortage of experience or calibre in the United squad, but that is not showing in a team struggling to adapt to Amorim’s system.

There was a sense they were making progress after a 2-2 draw away to Liverpool and the FA Cup penalty shoot-out win away to Arsenal, but that has largely disappeared after a poor performance at home to Southampton – rescued by Amad Diallo’s late hat-trick – before the loss to Brighton.

“If I could explain it, I think we change it straight away,” Maguire said of United’s woes. “We’ve got players who have played numerous games internationally, won lots of trophies in club football.

“But at the moment we we’re not playing well enough as a team and the league table shows it. So I can only keep going on about it. We’ve got to take responsibility on as players.”

But notably, when discussing why United have conceded the first goal so often at home, the 31-year-old said: “You’ve got to go into the game and be focused and mentally ready to go and win a football match.

“Football matches are sometimes defined on small margins and at the moment we’re not getting those small margins because we’re not mentally focused enough to to make sure that they go out our way.”