Ruben Amorim stated that Manchester United will need to endure a prolonged period of hardship before their fortunes improve, following his first game in charge which ended in a disheartening 1-1 draw against Ipswich. The newly appointed head coach has had only a few days to work with his full squad post-international break, and he acknowledged that they struggled to adapt to the numerous positional changes required by his 3-4-2-1 system, admitting they over-thought the adjustments.
Marcus Rashford gave United an early lead within two minutes, but Omari Hutchinson equalized just before halftime. Ipswich could have secured victory were it not for a series of crucial saves by United's goalkeeper, André Onana.
"It's difficult to anticipate anything at this stage," Amorim commented. "While it's not unexpected, you have to witness it unfold during the match. That's why I was somewhat anxious because you can't predict what will occur in the game. I sensed that. They are overthinking because the changes are so significant.
It's challenging for the players to adapt to everything in just three days, but we must not overlook the new strategy. That's the reason I was brought here, and we are attempting to integrate the things they are accustomed to doing. Next year, at the same juncture, we might face the same issues or we start now... we take a bit of a risk, endure a bit of suffering, and by next year, we will be improved.
We started very well, but then we should have maintained more possession. Occasionally, we had the ball in defense, and the rest of the team was too static because they were pondering: 'Where should I position myself?' They require time to develop some fluidity. I understand it's frustrating for the fans, but we are implementing so many changes at this moment with a packed schedule. We are going to face a long period of hardship. This process will take time. We could have lost if not for Onana, so we must recognize that and be pragmatic; these players had only two days to train and make such significant changes.
We will encounter situations where you observe a structure and think: 'It's not fluid.' But it's like taking steps. We need to instill the structure in their minds. Once they start thinking about the structure, they will play much better."
Source link: https://www.theguardian.com
