Ruben Amorim says some of his Manchester United players are “afraid” of heading into their terrifying on-pitch clash with rivals Liverpool.
The arrival of Amorim from Sporting CP to replace the dismissed Erik ten Hag has not yet had a positive impact on United's results.
United have lost four straight games in all competitions and have failed to score in three straight Premier League defeats.
They arrive at Anfield having dropped to 14th in the table, with the Opta supercomputer considering them more likely than not to finish in the bottom half, which would be their worst ever finish.
Amorim's new side now travel to play top-of-the-table rivals Liverpool on Sunday at a venue where they have struggled in recent years.
The Red Devils have not won their last eight away Premier League games against Liverpool and have not scored in any of the last five.
“She [the players] are anxious and sometimes afraid on the field,” Amorim told reporters before the match.
“We have to deal with that. We need the leaders to step up to help the other guys.
“You see that the players are trying [but] sometimes too anxious, too afraid to play football because this is a difficult moment.
“I am the most responsible person here to improve performance and we will help the players get better.”
6 – Manchester United have lost six games in December, the most in a single month since September 1930 (7). Re. pic.twitter.com/cApZFtaubw
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 30, 2024
As for his own position, Amorim acknowledged that he feels pressure to change the club's fortunes.
Asked about the pressure of managing at Old Trafford, he said: “Of course there is a lot of pressure. You can see it in my face, you can compare it to when I arrived and now!
“For me it's more about the pride and also about the achievements. It's harder when we don't perform well.
“When I arrived, I explained everything in advance, even if you were still talking afterwards [beating] Everton about the top four, I explained that I expected this.
“But it is still difficult to deal with all the problems, the poor performance and the losses.
“It's really difficult. The only thing that can help me is training with the players. And I also have my family here now, so it's so different and that can help me a lot.”
“I will do my best. I will give everything to help the club and we will succeed. I know it is difficult to understand at the moment, but we will succeed.”
It's a tough start to 2025 for United. In addition to the tough test against Liverpool, they will play Arsenal in the third round of the FA Cup at the Emirates Stadium on January 12.
14 – In the history of the Premier League, four teams that were fourteenth at the turn of the year have subsequently been relegated (Newcastle in 2008-09, Burnley in 2009-10, Norwich in 2013-14 and Leeds in 2022-2023). Warning. pic.twitter.com/gwNqMLldR4
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 30, 2024
United are closer to the relegation zone on points than the top eight as they are seven ahead of third-placed Ipswich Town, while in eighth place they are behind Aston Villa with a lead of ten.
Amorim recently said that the reason he has brought up the possibility of relegation is because the club needs a jolt with United at the start of a new year in their lowest position in the league since 1989.
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