Ruben Amorim has admitted Manchester United now face a gruelling fight against relegation after their latest defeat dragged them closer to the drop zone.
United slumped to a 2-0 loss against Newcastle at Old Trafford last night, a result that leaves them in 14th place and just seven points above third-bottom Ipswich.
The dire performance means Amorim has made the worst start of any United manager in over 100 years, losing five of his first eight league matches.
Still reeling from their fifth loss in their last six games in all competitions, United next face runaway leaders Liverpool and Jamie Carragher issued a dire warning that they are displaying ‘relegation form’, pinning some of the blame on Amorim.
Speaking post-match, the beleaguered head coach conceded he was embarrassed.
‘It is also my fault. I think the team is not improving. It is a little bit lost in this moment,’ said Amorim. ‘It is a bit embarrassing to be Manchester United coach and lose a lot of games. But we have to cope with difficult moments in the life of everybody.’
Ruben Amorim has admitted Manchester United are now in a relegation fight
United’s 2-0 defeat by Newcastle leaves them just seven points above the drop zone
Goals from Alexander Isak and Joelinton (pictured) saw United fall to a third straight loss
Asked whether United were in danger of the drop, Amorim added: ‘That is really clear, so we have to fight. It is a really difficult moment, one of the more difficult moments in the history of Manchester United and we have to address it with honesty.’
Goals from Alexander Isak and Joelinton condemned United to more misery while Ipswich’s 2-0 victory against Chelsea narrowed their cushion over the bottom three.
‘I am responsible,’ said Amorim. ‘I don’t like to arrive here and make excuses. I think people are tired of excuses in this club. I think our club needs a shock and we have to understand that. It is a very difficult moment and we have to fight for the next game.’
The 39-year-old, however, has vowed to stick to his 3-4-3 system and rued the lack of time available to drill home his tactics with his players during training sessions.
‘You cannot go back. You have to continue to push,’ he said. ‘We had four training [sessions] all together. I know what you are trying to reach but it’s really clear, I’m here because of my idea and I will continue with my idea until the end.
‘I change something tactical in every game. You [media] focus on three defenders, I change on something every game. If I didn’t believe then I would change, I’m not stubborn I just believe in something and stick on that.’
‘We don’t have the base behind the positioning and the way we play to cope with the difficult moments. When you have that, you have something to hold in the game so the players suffered a lot. Newcastle is a better team.’
Gary Neville is also concerned that United have been sucked into the relegation mire.
Amorim said it was ’embarrassing’ to lose so many games but took partial responsibility
United are 14th and have been defeated in five of their last six games in all competitions
‘He (Amorim) was resolute that he won’t change but he must be suffering deep inside,’ he said, speaking on Sky Sports. ‘I’m worried as well. It was really grim. That first half an hour was hard to watch as a United fan.
‘There’s no doubt: performances and results have deteriorated in these last few weeks. They’re finding it very difficult, some of the players with the system, they’re finding it very difficult with the confidence.
‘The concern is that they’re getting dragged into a fight down there near the bottom.
‘I think they’ve got a lot to do and that is being very, very kind. I don’t think this group of players are of the quality of the ones that [Erik] Ten Hag has had, Ole [Gunnar Solskjaer] has had, Jose Mourinho has had, or Louis van Gaal.
‘They weren’t good enough for Manchester United in those periods but they were better teams and better squads than they are currently.’
