Ruben Amorim says Manchester United’s performance against Southampton will teach him more about his players after positive results against Liverpool and Arsenal.
The Red Devils ended a four-game losing streak in a 2-2 draw with Liverpool in the Premier League earlier this month, before knocking Arsenal out of the FA Cup on penalties on Sunday.
United also beat Manchester City in December, but defeats to Tottenham, Newcastle, Bournemouth and Wolves followed.
And Amorim says he is looking for an improvement in performance against smaller teams, where they are expected to dominate the ball, rather than in big games.
The Portuguese coach said: “This next game will teach me more from my players than the last two, so I’m really focused on seeing what kind of game we play tomorrow so I can learn more tomorrow.”
Asked why he will learn more, he replied: “Because there is no expectation for us in the last two games.
“No one thought we could put on a great performance or win a game, but now they expect us to win and play well, so I’ll learn more in this game.”
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) January 15, 2025
Asked if he was worried about facing Saints, he said: “I’m always worried because we haven’t had the consistency in those games in terms of performances or results, so I’m always worried – it’s my job to worry.
“We have to deal with Southampton the same way we dealt with Liverpool and Arsenal – understanding that they are different games.
“People expect us to win and that changes things. When you have the pressure to win, that’s the pressure we want and sometimes it’s harder to cope with that pressure because against Arsenal and Liverpool nobody expected us to beat those teams, but now it’s different.
“We have to be prepared for that pressure, we need that pressure to improve as a team and we have to approach the game in the right way.”
Amorim doesn’t feel the pressure
Amorim has endured a turbulent tenure so far since replacing Erik ten Hag, with the club currently 14th in the Premier League, but insists he feels no pressure at Old Trafford.
He added: “Of course you feel the pressure of the club, but at the moment, I don’t feel that pressure.
“In recent years we have not won the championship. In the past here, if you didn’t win the championship one year, you had to win it the next. I don’t feel that pressure.
“We have to put that pressure on us because the fans are amazing away. I don’t feel that pressure, I just want to win. To feel that pressure in the future we have to win – we have to win titles and we have to win games.”
