Amorim reveals training plans for Everton

Friday 29 November 2024 13:30

Ruben Amorim has revealed his training plans for Sunday’s Premier League game against Everton, which will be significantly affected by the tight turnaround from Thursday’s win over Bodo/Glimt.

In the pre-match press conference before United’s game with the Toffees, our new Portuguese head coach admitted that a full training session with the whole squad would not be possible, due to the need for many players to recover after our Europa League game.

Nevertheless, Amorim explained that he would not rely heavily on video clips and meetings to ready his players for the challenge of facing Sean Dyche’s team.

Instead, the 39-year-old told reporters that his coaches would come to the fore, by walking or jogging the players through some of the tactical ideas that United will try to implement on Sunday.

Full 90: United v Bodo/Glimt Video

FULL 90 | The replay of Ruben Amorim's first Old Trafford match as United head coach is available now...

“I was a football player and, football players, if a video is more than 12 minutes, they forget,” smiled Amorim.

“They lose concentration, so we have to work on, imagine there is an indoor stadium, and we have that to do instead of video. We will do it like walking and jogging. It is a way to do it instead of showing videos. 

“We have all the staff and for example Carlos [Fernandes] is with the strikers, and he will show individual moments. We will try to cope with that and everybody in the staff has a job and they are maybe more important than me. That is it. Trying to see the game and to see what is missing. 

“They are very good players and they need to believe, as we will show individual stuff, team stuff and work. If you cannot run, then jog and make the same exercise. Of course it is not the same, but you can manage to try and win games.”

Amorim described Dyche as a “quality coach that understands the league and understands the quality of the opponent”, and expressed his belief that the game will be influenced by the contesting of long balls and second balls.

Due to the short recovery time, the boss also highlighted the importance of keeping possession to conserve energy.

“It is going to be a different match,” he said. “A lot of fighting, long balls, second balls. A quality coach that understands the league and understands the quality of the opponent. 

“We need to have the ball because we have a short time to recover with the team. So I hope for a win and I hope to see different things from my team, like we did from Ipswich to now. With Everton, [we will be] without training, but I expect to see different things and better things.”

Later in the press conference, Amorim also expanded on his much-discussed 3-4-2-1 system, and stressed that it was a lot more flexible than many observers have implied.

“Today if I ask you guys what system I use [against Bodo/Glimt], you saw more 4-4-2, in defending, I think. You agree? 

“Then we put two wide players, like the other teams in the league. You have to change the characteristics. Dalot and Malacia are more defenders because they defend in the back four and today, Amad and Antony they acted like a winger, and they stay open. What I want is a good one-against-one, to open the field, to play, and to close the field when we lose the ball, and it is the same in every team. 

“I think the structure is more fluid than you guys think, with the three defenders. We finished without any centre-backs, so it was Casemiro, Mazraoui and Luke Shaw. I think it is more about the characteristics of the players and not the real positions of the players.”

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