Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim admitted he felt his team were very nervous ahead of facing Bournemouth on Sunday.
United were emphatically Cherry won 3-0who exploited their weaknesses from set-pieces to take a first-half lead and never looked back, with United failing to make the most of their dominance of the ball.
Think about the gameAmorim admitted his team looked more nervous than usual, with that energy also seeping into the Old Trafford crowd.
“This match was difficult for us,” Amorim said. “We struggled again on set-pieces and were a bit nervous – I felt it also on the pitch at the start of the match. It's a lot of mental stress. “You can feel it not only with the players and the fans.” Also.
“I felt it from the first minute, there is a lot of anxiety. This is normal because of the context and it is really disappointing. It is a difficult moment but we have to face it and prepare for the next match.”
Dead ball situations were a problem for united Once again, Dean Howesen eluded Joshua Zirkzee to head home the opener, but Amorim was keen to deflect criticism from set-piece coach Carlos Fernandez.
He said: “It is my responsibility to coach them, not Carlos, it is all on me.” “Of course we want to improve. At this moment, everything is much more difficult – losing a team like Manchester United 3-0 at home, it's really difficult for everyone. And of course the fans are really disappointed and tired.”
“You can feel it on the pitch and I understand that, but we have to face it. We know what to do. We have to improve from set-pieces. I think we are not giving the ball away as much as we did. We are controlling the ball.” The game is better, we do not concede a lot of space, and we control very well a team that scores 60% of its goals when the ball is in the opponent’s half.”