Manchester United boss Rúben Amorim was upset with the manner in which Riccardo Calafiori’s winner was scored but expressed his pride at the way his players performed in the opening-day defeat to Arsenal. softfootball reports
The 13th-minute goal was unlucky for the Reds, as Bukayo Saka’s dangerous corner was palmed towards the back post by Altay Bayindir, allowing Calafiori the simple task of nodding in from on the line.
Bayindir protested he had been impeded but the goal was allowed to stand and there was no way back for the hosts, despite taking the game to last season’s Premier League runners-up and pushing hard for an equaliser.
Speaking to the press after the game yesterday via the club’s website, Amorim spoke about the controversial goal United conceded. He said;
“More or less the same that happened sometimes last year. For me, it’s not playing the ball, it’s protecting the guys that they are attacking.
“I understand that we want goals, but when you’re touching the goalkeeper in that way, I think it’s hard. And especially to lose with a goal like this, I think it’s hard. It’s hard to be strong when you have to push and to go for the ball. Sometimes you are pushing and then you don’t have more hands to go for the ball.
“We need to be stronger in that moment, but, especially, we need to do the same thing in the opposite side. So, we are not changing the rules. We have to adapt to the rules.”
Despite the defeat, Amorim insisted that there were plenty of positives in United’s display saying;
“We were more aggressive than last year. We sprint more. We were more brave. We let one against one all the game. We pressed high. And then with the ball, we have quality. Even when the stadium makes some sounds, we continue to play the way we play.
“We lost fewer balls in the build-up, compared to last year, was [where] we struggled a lot. And then the small things that we talk about in the beginning of this season, that players like [Matheus] Cunha, like Bryan [Mbeumo], in one moment can elevate the stadium. So, I think the most important thing, we were not boring.”
Ruben Amorim and the Red Devils head to Craven Cottage next to face Fulham. United will be desperate for a win,to build momentum and wash off the failure of last season
