Ruben Amorim warned a ‘storm was coming’ to Manchester United, and he was not wrong.
December has been a challenging month for Ruben Amorim at Manchester United so far.
This month Amorim has seen three wins, and four losses. There are two games remaining, against Wolves and Newcastle.
One common theme where United have struggled has been at set pieces, including two goals conceded from corners against Arsenal, and direct from a corner against Tottenham.
Against Bournemouth, Amorim’s United scored after a free-kick was turned in by defender Dean Huijsen.
Ruben Amorim working on set piece weakness
The weakness from set pieces is an early challenge for Ruben Amorim to suggest, and he is confident he has the right men in the right places.
Speaking at his post-game press conference, Amorim was asked if he planned to take Carlos Fernandes away from set piece duties, and use Andreas Georgson, who came into the club under Erik ten Hag with a specific brief.
Amorim made his stance very clear, saying he is the one who is responsible, rather than a specific member of his coaching staff.
He was quoted via club media: “No, the responsibility of everything is me, it’s not Carlos, it’s on me. We are a team, we are a team in the good moments, in the bad moments.
“We have a way of doing things, we are working on that, we are going to improve on that also. But we didn’t lose because of set-pieces, we lose because we create more chances that we didn’t score and then in this moment everything is against us.
“They can score like against Tottenham, we created a lot of chances also. It’s a difficult moment but the responsibility is with me, not Carlos.”
Manchester United face tough stretch ahead
Games against Wolves and Newcastle are tricky, and it does not get easier for Manchester United at the start of 2025.
The club’s first two games are away to Liverpool in the Premier League, and then away at Arsenal in the FA Cup.
There is a lot more to fix at United than just set pieces – but this would be a good place to start.
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