Ruben Amorim says Man Utd missed something ‘so important’ vs Forest, it’s the next challenge

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Ruben Amorim’s tinkering has made Manchester United more solid, and the mentality change pioneered by him is also starting to bear fruit, but the next challenge is already on the horizon.

Man Utd’s 2-2 draw against Nottingham Forest was a reminder that this team is still very much a work in progress despite justified optimism around the club.

Ruben Amorim also praised the team’s mentality as a sign of growth, saying they would have lost this game last season after Forest’s quickfire double.

However, he did say concerningly that United missed something ‘so important’ vs Forest, and they’ll miss it against Spurs too. It’s the next step in their growth.

Ruben Amorim laments the lack of home advantage vs Forest

It has been quite a turnaround from Amorim because Old Trafford was almost starting to be seen as a burden of expectations at United, which should never be the case.

Those days look like they’re in the rearview mirror, because Man United are not capitalising on the energy of the Old Trafford faithful and channelling it into good performances.

A byproduct of that has been struggles away from home.

Even though United won recently at Anfield, that was an entirely different type of game where they ceded the initiative to Liverpool.

In games like this against Forest, where they dominate the ball, they are still prone to being sucker-punched with the home crowd getting on their nerves.

Speaking after the game, Amorim said this team is clearly more confident at home now, and Old Trafford is ‘so important’ for this team.

He said: “If you play at Old Trafford, you can feel the vibe and that can help us in certain moments. We need to regain that feeling of a big team for which the environment doesn’t matter.

“We need to push ourselves to bring that energy away because even if you drop a little bit, you can feel it.

“When you play at home, you feel that vibe of the crowd, and that is so important. That’s why, ultra effort is so important for us this month.”

Man Utd will be tested similarly against Spurs

Amorim’s comments are a gauntlet for United, because their next game is again away from home, at Thomas Frank’s Tottenham.

Frank has effectively turned Spurs into his Brentford 2.0, relying on set-pieces via former United set-piece coach Andreas Georgson, who is now Spurs’ set-piece coach.

Much like United, Spurs also like to play on the counterattack, but Amorim will at least be happy that the onus to be proactive will be on Spurs since it’s their home.

That should play into United’s hands, since it will be more like the game against Anfield, instead of the game against Forest.

Either way, United will have to make do without Old Trafford again, and winning away from home now is the next big challenge for this team’s evolution.