Ruben Amorim has been nothing but honest during his short time so far at Manchester United and the latest example of it came in the lead-up to the Rangers game.
Man Utd come into the game on the back of a brutal 1-3 defeat to Brighton that plunged them to a new low and broke the dam of Ruben Amorim’s patience.
Amorim had a heated outburst in the dressing room afterward, something out of character for him because he has a rule of not talking to players immediately after the game.
That’s a rule he broke and it can be argued that there’s another rule which needs breaking but in the lead-up to the Rangers game, he admitted to a mistake he made after the game.
Ruben Amorim admits to mistake after Brighton
The loss to Brighton was in many ways expected since Brighton are Man Utd’s bogey team in the league but the manner of it probably blindsided Amorim too.
United had the familiar set-piece weakness and got thoroughly outplayed, finishing with a single shot on target, that being Bruno Fernandes’ penalty for the goal.
Despite Noussair Mazraoui and Andre Onana having forgettable games, not many of their teammates covered themselves in glory.
Amorim is probably the last man blamed for that loss that came as a result of individual errors and players not adhering to the system but he admitted to his own mistake after the game, one that he doesn’t make regularly.
He said that being a ‘young guy’, he made the mistake of talking to the players immediately after the game, leading him to become ‘more nervous’, resulting in an explosive press conference as things snowballed.
Amorim said: “I’m a young guy and sometimes I make a mistake and that’s why I don’t talk after the game.
“This game I needed to talk and maybe it was a mistake because then I get more nervous and go to the conference really nervous and say things you shouldn’t say.
“I don’t promise I won’t do it again but I’ll try to improve.”
Man Utd players need to step up next
Amorim’s press conference before the Rangers game was a masterclass in deflecting all the blame away from the players and onto himself.
He took control of the narrative again which had taken on a life of its own after the post-match press conference against Brighton.
The Man Utd manager fronted up on all the questions and tackled them well by acknowledging mistakes, clearing up misconceptions, and sending a positive message.
He has managed to turn an incident that could have sent the whole club into a tailspin into a bonding moment with the players and strengthened the siege mentality.
It is now up to the players to give a reaction on the pitch when they host Rangers. Most of them are looking like they’re on borrowed time already.
Man Utd fans aren’t in the mood to see another manager sacked and the players spared this time.
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