Ruben Amorim defends tactics and explains Joshua Zirkzee sub after another defeat for ‘grim’ Man United
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The Red Devils are 14th in the table at the turn of the year after losing to Newcastle. Ruben Amorim acknowledged his Manchester United side are “suffering” and face a battle to not get dragged into the relegation fight in the Premier League, but insisted his methods would pay off over the long term and vowed not to move away from his long-held tactical beliefs.
The Portuguese boss oversaw another torrid performance in a 2-0 defeat to Newcastle United to close 2024 on a low note, the Red Devils 14th in the table and having lost five of their last six in the top flight. After the match he noted more than once that Newcastle are a “better team” than his own side and admitted his players are finding it “really hard to turn around” after conceding the first goal in matches at present.
That, he explained, was due very little training time as a full unit, meaning his side lacked the knowledge base to fall back for the new 3-4-3 system he is using. “We don’t have the base behind the positioning and the way we play to cope with the difficult moments,” he told Sky Sports at full time. “When you have that, you have something to hold in the game so the players suffered a lot. Newcastle is a better team.”.
While not explicitly saying United are in a relegation fight - they sit seven points above 18th-placed Ipswich, who beat Chelsea on Monday night - Amorim pointed out his club must be realistic about the situation they are in. He also underlined that subbing off Joshua Zirkzee during the first half - to loud boos from the home crowd aimed at the striker - was part tactical, part to protect the player, and backed him to continue playing a role in the team.
