An “embarrassed” Ruben Amorim has claimed there is “something wrong” with the way his Manchester United side play football ahead of their meeting with Chelsea, live on Friday Night Football.
United suffered their 13th league defeat since Amorim was appointed in November against West Ham on Sunday, a 2-0 loss at Old Trafford, to keep them just two places above the relegation zone. .
They have now gone seven games without a win in the Premier League, matching their longest winless streak in the competition, and will now be tasked with addressing the poor run of form against Enzo Maresca’s Champions League-chasing side away from home.
At the time of Amorim taking over in November, United sat in 14th place but their struggles in front of goal and woeful defensive record, leading to just six wins in the league, have now seen them drop to 16th on 39 points.
Regardless of how they perform in the final fixtures, United are guaranteed to finish with their worst Premier League season on record – and by some margin.
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“I am embarrassed that in 26 games, we have won six. Something is wrong with the way we are playing football,” Amorim told Sky Sports.
“Sometimes it is not about the way we play tactically, it is the way we face competition and suffer. When we get mad about losing.
“Everything we have been through, I have a clear picture and a clear feeling of what this team needs to be so much better.
“It is not just on the pitch, it is outside the pitch. We have all the conditions to be better.”
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FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from West Ham’s win against Manchester United in the Premier League.
The 40-year-old is now approaching his second transfer window in charge of the club and will likely be backed after only seeing defensive duo Patrick Dorgu and Ayden Heaven arrive in the winter, but he has insisted the problems plaguing his team cannot all be addressed by fresh investment.
Amorim said: “There are some things we cannot change in summer, the feeling in the club and the way we see it.
“The feeling that we cannot lose a match. We have to change that and not think about transfers. That is more profound than changing people. We are doing that but people cannot see that.
“The way we work and the behaviour we have in the club. The things we cannot see, we are working on it. We need to forget about the final and need to be better against Chelsea.”
The defeat to the Hammers, who ended their own winless run of eight games in the process, marked the 14th league game and 10th under Amorim where United have failed to score.
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Sue Smith and Stephen Warnock discuss Ruben Amorim’s Premier League struggles after Manchester United’s 2-0 loss at home to West Ham United.
United’s poor record in front of goal, with only Leicester, Southampton and Everton blanking more, points to a team short of confidence. But Amorim insists it is more “profound” than that.
When asked if confidence within the squad was one of the root causes for their struggles, Amorim continued: “That is one thing.
“To fight till the end and the way we face competition [is another], it is not okay to lose or draw. That feeling is not about confidence, it is about the belief and understanding that we are Manchester United.
“Our position is unacceptable. That is not a lack of confidence, it is a lack of something more profound.”
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Former Manchester United defender Patrice Evra speaks to Sky Sports News over the performance of head coach Ruben Amorim and says they could have been relegated without Bruno Fernandes.
Somehow, there is still light at the end of the tunnel for this squad. The Europa League final against fellow strugglers Tottenham in Bilbao on May 21 offers a chance for United to secure both silverware and Champions League football.
However, despite it being the obvious priority, Amorim is determined not to let any focus shift away from the trip to Stamford Bridge.
“I am not worried about momentum for the final, it is a different game. Tottenham is living more or less the same way.” Instead, he is looking at Friday’s fixture as an opportunity for his side to show the fight and desire he has been so desperate to see since leaving Lisbon.
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Speaking ahead of the Europa League semi-final second leg, Ruben Amorim says he still believes his Manchester United side is the club’s worst in Premier League history.
“It is the way we face competition. We are Manchester United,” he said, building on his explanation on what was missing from the squad.
“We are just okay about not performing and it is not about momentum, it is so much more profound than that.
“When I listen to people criticising the way we perform, I cannot say anything because it is so clear that people are right.
“We need to feel that. We need to get angry with the critics and perform. The worst thing we can do is let it go, that is so hard to understand.”
Watch Chelsea vs Man Utd live on Friday Night Football from 7pm on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event; kick-off 8.15pm