Embargoed pre-match press conference with Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim ahead of Manchester United v West Ham United in the Premier League at Carrington Training Complex.
Amorim explains how careful load management, position adaptation and a one game per week schedule have helped Luke Shaw start every Premier League game this season, calling him a world class player. He highlights the collective work behind United’s set piece improvement, crediting assistant Carlos Fernandes, analyst Kaita Hasegawa and the data team, and says set pieces are massive in this league.
He discusses Matheus Cunha’s frustration at missing two matches, the importance of enjoying the pressure, and why Champions League qualification is realistic for next week if United keep winning, while warning how tight the table remains. Amorim welcomes Lisandro Martínez’s return, insists competition is a blessing, explains the need to balance set piece height with attacking ideas when Casemiro is missing, and says selection decisions around Kobbie Mainoo, Manuel Ugarte and Josh Zirkzee are purely about choosing the best eleven to win.
Courtesy of MUTV
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00:00Hi, Ruben. Luke Shaw obviously made his 300 foot appearance at the weekend, which is obviously taking his time.
00:05He's had a lot of issues at the club over the years, but he's starting every Premier League game this season.
00:10What's been the key to that fitness? Has it just been the sparseness of the schedule or have you taken specific measures to try and protect him?
00:18We took special consideration in the beginning. When we are building the player, we have to be careful trying to control really the load, not putting so many minutes.
00:30Even the position is completely different. If you change the position, you know that the demands of that different position is going to struggle.
00:38He adapts really well to that position because sometimes he's playing with the ball like a fullback, but he's defending more deeper.
00:51He's really smart. For me, I said already, I think he's a world-class player.
00:57Of course, he needs more continuity, like he's showing this season.
01:01We are playing just one game per week. That helps a lot. If he needs three days to recover, he's not needing now.
01:07But if he needs, we can give them. So, I think it's everything combined.
01:13We are not taking care of special measures for him in this moment, but we had to do it in the beginning when he was starting to have more minutes.
01:23Is it too demanding for him to play on the wing now?
01:26No, no, no. It's different. You have to train there.
01:31Before you think to put a different player in that position, you need to train there.
01:35Or he needs to do some minutes and then he needs to come off or return to a different position.
01:45But he's ready to, if we need, and maybe we are going to need, in this system, he can play there.
01:50You just mentioned to Andy about how important set-pieces are.
01:54Obviously, he scored two more against Palace.
01:55We see on a match day that when there's a set-piece, you kind of take a step back and it's Carlos who is on the touchline and he's kind of directing everything.
02:02How important is his work in that area?
02:05And could you give us a little insight into the type of work that he does with the players in that?
02:08First of all, it's a group thing and we are doing, we improve a lot in that department and there's nothing to do with me, so I'm really upset with that.
02:19But we have an analyst, Kajita, who is doing all the study.
02:24We have the data guys that he brought that give us information.
02:28And then Carlos is doing the research, seeing all the opponents, all the moments of the opponents, watching all the trainings, all our games, what we need to improve.
02:37Then we have the trainings and then we have to prepare a specific exercise for him, but that is normal in any squad.
02:47But I think they are not just Carlos, but all the guys are doing a massive job.
02:52And in this league, set-pieces can win you games or you can lose if you don't pay attention to that.
03:00And I'm really pleased with the job that they are doing.
03:03Just following on from that, Ruben, you've talked about having more time with the players this year because I was only playing once a week.
03:13Are we seeing the benefits of that in the set-pieces?
03:16Are you giving more time to Carlos to practice those set-pieces or is it just a natural development?
03:23Yes, it is a point that helps you to have more time because last year we trained without the real movement.
03:32So we can put the position, that is the idea, but if you don't have space and you cannot put load because they are recovering, it's not the same thing.
03:40So you have more time to kick corners, free kicks, and you can create real-game situations this year.
03:49And that helps. If you train more time, you will improve. That is normal.
03:54I think you mentioned before that the Cunha was thinking about the numbers too much, perhaps.
04:01Do you think on that basis this two-game out of the action will help him a little bit?
04:06And how as a coach, do you help a player like that who maybe does become a little bit too fixated on the figures?
04:12I put my players in problems sometimes when I see things.
04:17What I mean is that I think he feels that he wants to score, he wants to assist, but he's really happy playing the game.
04:25It is really important.
04:27I think he struggled with his two games out.
04:30He was struggling because he wants to play.
04:32He had fun playing the game and that is so important in our team.
04:36Guys having fun, wanting the challenge, the pressure.
04:39He's that guy.
04:42So I think it was not good for him to stop playing.
04:46He watched a lot of players playing well, especially in his position.
04:51So he's not happy.
04:53And tomorrow, maybe he will have the opportunity to come back and to score again or assist.
04:58Jamie?
04:59I've played 13 league games now.
05:0113, so it's just over a third of the season.
05:04And you're only a point behind.
05:05Fifth place is probably going to be enough for Champions League football next season.
05:09You're grinning, but surely it's a realistic ambition or target to go for Champions League qualification.
05:19I understand the question.
05:21If the table are there, if you have the opportunity in one game per week, you need to go forward.
05:28But then you look at the table and everyone is like two points behind.
05:33One week, everything can change.
05:35That's my point in a way.
05:35It's, you know, it's sort of backed up.
05:38So there is a chance.
05:38Let's focus.
05:39I think the best way of doing things, especially with our team, is to focus just the next game.
05:45If we win the next game, we'll maintain the position at least.
05:49That is the main focus of...
05:50So it is realistic then?
05:51Because if you win the next game...
05:52To go in position of Champions League for the next week, yes, it's realistic.
05:57The future, I don't know.
05:59So I just want to say I want to continue near that position next week and then the rest we'll see.
06:05All right.
06:05Hi, Ruben.
06:06Lissandro made his return after a long time out at Crystal Palace.
06:10What does he bring to you on the pitch, but also off the pitch?
06:13He's in the leadership group.
06:15I know he's got quite high standards around the place.
06:17And so on Samuel's question as well, Luke Shaw's position, does that give you a bit of a headache there?
06:22How to play those guys?
06:23Yeah, they have to fight.
06:24And we talk about that as a group last year.
06:27We need to win Europa League.
06:29I was always telling to the players because you have no idea what is playing one game per week.
06:34And you are going to be upset because you are not going to play.
06:37There's 11 players that can play and then the rest you have to fight.
06:41And that is the situation.
06:42So that is not a problem.
06:44That is a blessing.
06:45That is my job to choose.
06:49Lice is a guy that he has a big character.
06:53I feel that he wants to stop for a year and now he wants the things really, really fast.
07:01And you have to manage that to explain that injury.
07:04We need to go step by step, but he's getting ready.
07:08He's feeling really strong.
07:10And this is one more guy to help the team to play better.
07:15So I'm really happy with Lice at the moment.
07:17James?
07:18Just on the set pieces again, was that something you and your staff discussed in pre-season
07:25as being something you absolutely fundamentally had to address this season?
07:32And also, I mean, in terms of goals scored from set pieces, you level with Arsenal,
07:36who most people look at as probably the best exponent of set pieces in Europe at the moment.
07:42And you said, I think, at the weekend you were stealing ideas.
07:46Are they someone that you've specifically looked at?
07:49And is the next challenge for the team to get the defensive element of set pieces up
07:55to where you're attacking and offensive set pieces are?
07:58Yeah.
07:59There's...
08:00I think we are attacking better than we are defending.
08:03But when you are defending, you need to take the ball out.
08:06When you are attacking nowadays in Premier League, you don't need to touch the ball.
08:09Just don't allow the defender to take the ball because the ball is going to be there for
08:14the second ball.
08:15So it's completely different defending and attacking.
08:17I'm not going to tell you who we are going to...
08:20are stealing ideas.
08:23It's from everybody.
08:24A lot of smart managers doing a lot of things, specialists nowadays.
08:30So we try to steal from everybody.
08:32Then you have to think about when you put the squad, if you play with Ahmad, Brian, Bruno,
08:39all these guys.
08:40If you don't have Kazmiro, and we suffer against Tottenham with that.
08:45If we don't have Kazmiro, not Sejko, not Harry.
08:47So you have to make a balance sometimes thinking, yes, the idea for the game is this one.
08:52But if you have set pieces against, cannot be this team.
08:57And our league is like that in the moment.
08:59You need to think not just the way you are going to play, but also in set pieces.
09:03So, of course, if you look at with a little bit attention to the league, you understand
09:10that set pieces is massive for the game.
09:14Sometimes to open the game.
09:15If you score a goal, you are in the better conditions to win the game.
09:20So, of course, we pay attention a lot, especially in preseason.
09:24But every week to prepare set pieces for the game.
09:28You felt in the summer going into the season, it was a key area, amongst other things,
09:35that you had to address.
09:36And we struggle a lot.
09:37When we arrived, we struggle.
09:39I think we suffer a lot set pieces in our first games here.
09:45So we learn with time like any other manager.
09:49Last question, Kapi.
09:50Hi, Ruben.
09:52Josh has got his chance in the last couple of weeks, mainly because of injury, and he
09:56took it with that really good goal at Palace.
09:57But Kapi remains still on the bench.
10:00You've spoken before about players that are out of the team and naturally going to want
10:03to consider their position in January, especially in a World Cup year.
10:06Is he going to get, with the games mounting up now in December, is Kapi going to get a chance
10:11to prove his worth before the January?
10:13We'll see.
10:14We could talk about Kobe.
10:15We could talk about Ugarte.
10:17He's also not playing.
10:19Josh is playing because we had a lot of injuries and we need to be also clear with that.
10:26And football is like that.
10:27You just need to be ready when the opportunity comes.
10:31When the opportunity comes, again, I just want to win.
10:34I don't look at faces.
10:36I just want to win and I will choose the best ones.
10:39And of course, I think when you have more games, if something happens, you will have
10:44your chance.
10:44You just need to be ready and you will be fine.
10:48If you are ready, if you play well, I'm not going to take it from the team for any reason.
10:54I just choose for every game the best starting 11 and Kobe is the same thing with the other
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