For the first time under Amorim, Manchester United appeared to be gaining momentum with three consecutive wins—home triumphs over Sunderland and Brighton sandwiching a landmark victory at Liverpool’s Anfield. ..Continue Reading
That promising spell was followed by two 2-2 draws against Nottingham Forest and Spurs, but the team then suffered their fourth Premier League loss of the season, falling at home to a 10-man Everton side.
The visitors were reduced to ten men in the 13th minute when Idrissa Gueye was dismissed for slapping teammate Michael Keane after a misplaced pass that led to a Bruno Fernandes opportunity.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, a goal from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall secured Everton a gritty win—their first at Old Trafford since December 2013.
United’s recent momentum has now stalled, and the team was met with boos at half-time, reigniting scrutiny on Amorim just as it had begun to ease.
Though a 13-time Premier League champion, Ferguson was well-acquainted with defeat and made it a point to master the art of bouncing back.
“Defeat happens,” he said in an old interview with Jim White for Sky Sports.
“I can accept defeat, no bother. No problem for me. Maybe when I was very young, I found it difficult. But you have the dignity to eventually be able to accept defeat and be a good loser. But that doesn’t mean to say you don’t forget it.
“My purpose after that was to make sure it never happened again. I just hated losing that way. I would tell my players at the end of the game in no uncertain terms and would always try to find the reason why we lost.
“But the next match was another world and I made sure I was going to win that next match.
“That purpose and determination is something that’s in you, it’s either there or not.”
United currently sit 10th in the Premier League table after suffering their second home defeat of the season, three points adrift of the top four with 12 matches played.
The Red Devils had seemed to be making strides under Amorim, but the Portuguese coach is deeply worried about slipping back into the struggles of last season, when the team finished 15th and endured 18 league defeats.
“We are not there, not even near the point that we should be to fight for the best positions in the league,” Amorim admitted.
“These five weeks everyone is praising our evolution. I’m always saying the same things. We are not even near what the moment we’re supposed to be in this club.
“I feel afraid of returning to this feeling of last season. That is my biggest concern.”
The former Sporting CP manager also appreciated the intensity of the altercation between Gueye and Keane that led to the red card, using it as an example of the kind of passion he wants to see in his squad.
“Fighting is not a bad thing,” Amorim added.
“Fighting doesn’t mean that they don’t like each other. Fighting is that you lose the ball, I will fight you because we will suffer a goal. That was my feeling when I watched.
“I hope my players, when they lose the ball, they fight each other. That is a good feeling, not a bad feeling.”
United will aim to recover on Sunday with a challenging away match against Crystal Palace, followed by another London clash with West Ham on Thursday night.
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