Amorim Warns Manchester United Stars: Performance is Key for Europa League Final
Ruben Amorim has made it clear to Manchester United figures that they could lose their place in the Europa League final if they don’t show their best game against Chelsea.
United will face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge this Friday, in a Premier League match, five days before the final against Tottenham in Bilbao, next Wednesday.
Amorim has not yet defined his starting eleven for the match at San Mamés. He insists that the players still have the opportunity to earn a place, or to lose it, depending on their performance against Chelsea.
I already know the starting eleven I am considering for Chelsea and then I will see. The way we play there against Chelsea will be important for the next match [against Tottenham].
Ruben Amorim
Amorim suggested that the 4-3 defeat to Brentford two weeks ago was, in part, a result of some players already thinking about the second leg of the Europa League semi-final against Athletic Club.
This defeat was followed by another in the league against West Ham, leaving United in sixteenth position in the table.
Amorim emphasized that he will not tolerate a lack of concentration against Chelsea, who are fighting for a place in the top five and qualification for the Champions League.
This match is crucial for the next one, so we need to perform and they need to perform, that is important. We cannot spend eight or nine days without playing, that is bad for the final. We have time to recover. The best way to prepare for the final is to play the match and then the players have to understand that playing or not against Chelsea means nothing for the final, that is important. I am only preparing for the match against Chelsea. That is my focus and we want to win.
Ruben Amorim
United haven’t won any of their last seven league games, their last victory was against Leicester City, almost two months ago.
It has been 35 years since the club had such a bad league form streak. However, Amorim believes that consistent league victories are not that far away.
“It’s hard to talk about that without sounding crazy, but if you look at the xG, for example, in the last few games, ours is higher,” he said.
“Against Wolves, we were very close and they scored from a set piece. It was the first time they got to our goal and scored, and we had our opportunities, especially in the second half.”
“I can understand that, but it’s difficult to talk about it at the moment. Let’s focus on finishing well and then we’ll prepare the future at the end of the season.”
