Ruben Amorim insists his change of system at Manchester United is ‘not the concern’ when trying to improve results.
Amorim’s first game in charge ended in a 1-1 draw at Ipswich Town on Sunday, as the new Manchester United manager made his Premier League debut at Portman Road.
Marcus Rashford tapped in from Amad Diallo’s cross inside the opening two minutes, though the Red Devils were unable to build on that quick-fire start. Andre Onana’s point-blank stop from Liam Delap denied Ipswich an equaliser, but the Tractor Boys found a leveller through Omari Hutchinson’s deflected strike from distance.
Amorim chose to implement his favoured 3-4-3 system despite the lack of recognised centre-backs, though the Portuguese coach said there has been too much focus on his side’s shape. He outlined his determination to improve the decision-making of his side and said it will take time for his ideas to come to fruition.
“It’s a tough league. You learn that in the first moment. My players were thinking too much in the game you can feel it. Not just on the ball but where they are supposed to be. And that is hard It’s just two days with the team so it’s really hard. I think the physicality we needed more in the first half,” Amorim told Sky Sports.
“It’s a tough match, we lost some balls without pressure. You have to control the ball and the tempo of the game. They didn’t do it but they really tried. They are really trying and they want this.
“We have to try to since the first moment, we have to address the new idea and try to be better next year at the same stage. Decision-making is a concern, you don’t need to coach them in this level. We are doing some things not in the right moment and that’s what we have to address. The 3-4-3 is not the concern, the understanding of the game is what we have to improve.
“They want this, the players want this, they don’t know how to get it that was my feeling.
“You start discovering things that you didn’t know like Garna, can hold the ball between lines, you can understand that by seeing the games because he’s always open so you try to find these things.
“Bruno Fernandes, he improved his game by playing near the ball. So he can give us the long pass but you cannot put him there all the time because he wants the long pass all the time.
“We will try to find a lot of things about the players, we will need a lot of time to work out these things.
“This week I spoke more [to the media] than I did in four years at Sporting. I just want to work with my players. Nothing more.”
