Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim admitted he felt his team were too nervous ahead of Sunday’s game against Bournemouth.
United were emphatically defeated 3-0 by the Cherrieswho took advantage of their set-piece weaknesses to take the lead in the first half and never looked back as United failed to make the most of their dominance in possession.
Reflecting on the gameAmorim confessed that his team seemed more nervous than usual and that energy also seeped into the Old Trafford crowd.
“This game was tough for us,” Amorim said. “We suffered again on set pieces and we were a little nervous; I also felt it in the stadium at the beginning of the game. It’s a lot of mental (nervousness). You can feel it not only with the players, but also with the fans. also.
“I felt it from the first minute, there is a lot of anxiety. It is normal due to the context and it is really disappointing. It is a difficult moment but we have to face it and prepare for the next game.”
Set-piece situations were a problem for United Once again, Dean Huijsen escaped Joshua Zirkzee to head in the opening goal, but Amorim was keen to deflect criticism from set-piece coach Carlos Fernandes.
“It’s my responsibility to train them, not Carlos; it’s all up to me,” he said. “Of course we want to improve. At the moment everything is much more difficult: a club like Manchester United loses 3-0 at home, it’s really difficult for everyone. And of course the fans are really disappointed and tired.
“You feel it in the stadium and I understand it, but we have to face it. We know what to do. We have to improve the set pieces. I think we are not giving the ball away as much as we did. We control “The game is better, we don’t concede many spaces, transitions, we controlled very well against a team that scores 60% of its goals when the ball is in the opponent’s field.”
