Ruben Amorim says he will learn more about Manchester United from Thursday's match against Southampton than from their recent trips to Liverpool and Arsenal.
United next host the Premier League's bottom club after losing each of their last three home games in the competition.
They last lost four league games in a row at Old Trafford in February 1934 as a second-tier club (a run of five), last losing in the top flight in October 1930 (six in a row).
On the road, however, United have achieved some impressive results of late.
They fought back from 2-1 down to earn a 2-2 draw against Liverpool to start 2025, before knocking Arsenal out of the FA Cup on penalties following a 1-1 draw at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
United played long periods on the break in those matches, recording a 47.1% share of possession at Anfield and just 29.6% at the Emirates, where they played with 10 men for around an hour after Diogo Dalot was sent off.
But the Red Devils have struggled when they have had to take the initiative this season. They won only one of the six league games in which they had 57% or more ball possession (two draws, three defeats).
During Wednesday's pre-match press conference, Amorim said: “I think tomorrow will tell us more about our team than the last two games.
“The most difficult thing to train in one team is the way you build with the ball and, in the final third, the way you create situations.
“That is what a big team has to do very well and for that we also need time to train. We have had a lack of goals for a long time.”
Last season, Amorim's Sporting CP ranked third in goals scored (96) in Europe's top ten leagues, while United – under Erik ten Hag – ranked joint 52nd with 57.
The Red Devils have attempted a higher proportion of their shots from outside the penalty area than any other side in the Premier League this season (37%), showing that they are struggling to break down defences.
Amorim knows United need to improve significantly in the final third if they are to challenge for major honours, and warns they cannot rely on their counter-attacking prowess in most matches.
“We haven't spent a lot of time with the ball in the last third of the game in these games. We did that against Nottingham Forest but we need to improve in that part of the game,” he said.
“I understand that at the moment it is okay to play like this against Liverpool and Arsenal.
“We waited for the opportunity against Arsenal, but in the future you can't play like that and I know that.
“But we need time to build up a different way of playing. We will focus on that a lot in the future.”
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