Man United had a thrilling score chase with Tottenham in London but still could not advance to the next round of the League Cup. A match with dozens of mistakes from the defense and goalkeeper, in other words, the recent match at Tottenham Stadium was a mess.
After the match, when asked about all that madness, Ruben Amorim was quite calm. The Portuguese strategist did not think this result was bad for the "Red Devils". On the contrary, the 39-year-old coach also saw some good signs.
"I didn't feel like it was a mess. If anything, it only came in the eight minutes of the second half when they made it two goals.
However, I think the team controlled everything well, almost throughout the match. We played consistently, actively looking for the opponent's weaknesses. I knew clearly what I and the players wanted to do. So there was no chaos or confusion" - Ruben Amorim shared.
Inside the Tottenham Stadium, things are said to be in chaos behind the scenes for Man United. They beat Man City and then lost to Tottenham in just a few days. While some players like Amad Diallo gradually asserted their position as pillars, the highly-anticipated Marcus Rashford fell badly.
The turmoil surrounding Rashford has been a constant source of pressure for Amorim over the past few days. The Portuguese coach has been constantly questioned about the England striker's future amid the club's instability. These are the first challenges and pressures of a coach sitting in the hot seat at Old Trafford.
"I feel like what I did was the right thing. The coaching staff had to make a choice at this point," Amorim said about the decision to remove Rashford from the squad for the match against Tottenham.
Back to the on-field action, the elimination was undeniable but Man United's performance (with many substitutes starting) was much better than the last time the two teams met. In the 0-3 home defeat at Old Trafford to Tottenham, Man United's expected goals (xG) was just 0.93. Meanwhile, Spurs's figure was 4.59.
In the last match, Man United's xG was 2.56 (scored 3 goals), completely overwhelming Tottenham's 0.67 (scored 4 goals). The "Red Devils" have maintained their consistent playing style since Ruben Amorim arrived, that's the most important thing. It's not often that a team with an xG of only 0.67 can score 4 goals like Tottenham in football.
"That's football. Maybe we weren't perfect throughout the game but we were the better team in most aspects," Ruben Amorim said.
The end of Erik ten Hag's reign was a very palpable chaos at United, stretching from game to game. Amorim has many immediate goals, but pulling the team out of that quagmire is the priority. It will take a long time, maybe by the end of this season, things will still not be as desired, but at least United are on the right track.
There will be many more failures and stories like Rashford's in the future. If Amorim can get through this season, Man United will be much more formidable in the near future.
