ONE OF THE more telling aspects of Ruben Amorim’s pre-match press conference ahead of Manchester United’s Premier League opener against Arsenal at Old Trafford today was his steadfast refusal to be drawn into grand statements of intent for the season ahead.
Considering this is a man who last year referred to his team as the worst in the club’s history and insisted he would rather put his 63-year-old goalkeeper coach Jorge Vital on the bench instead of Marcus Rashford, it’s fair to say this was somewhat a change of tact.
To be fair, he did give a more in depth interview to those reporters who cover United on a daily basis during the pre-season tour of the United States this summer, although one of the most revealing disclosures from that was how he and club co-owner Jim Ratcliffe regularly exchange GIFs when they are messaging each other.
That leaves plenty to the imagination depending on how this season goes from here.
And today it is Arsenal arriving, so for Amorim to be drawn into discussion about the possibilities of the season and what they hope to achieve seemed redundant given Mikel Arteta’s side are a lot of people’s favourites to finally win the Premier League and are capable of blowing United away with their power and far greater quality.
“We are going to improve. We want to focus game by game. If we are thinking now about how we are going to finish the season it is a problem,” Amorim said.
“Let’s focus on game by game. We want to win against Arsenal, that is the main focus.”
A look at United’s fixture list also makes you understand why Amorim doesn’t want to look beyond this afternoon.
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By the time the November international break comes around on 9 November, United will have played 11 games and faced Manchester City, Liverpool and their Europa League final nemesis Tottenham Hotspur away from home, while fixtures against Chelsea and Brighton at Old Trafford are hardly appealing.
And that’s before you count other trips on the road to Fulham, Brentford and Nottingham Forest.
Amorim did say earlier this summer that he would like to be United manager for the next 20 years, and while that was seized on in some quarters the context of his point was ignored given he spoke about repaying the faith shown in him by those in power last season when most other clubs of a similar stature would have cut ties.
Amorim knows he has to win matches given United lost 17 league games last season and finished 15th, level on points with Wolves, one behind a beleaguered West Ham and six behind perennial doom merchants Everton.
Arsenal being first up brings an added element of intrigue given how their respective summers played out in the transfer market. Both clubs’ new star strikers could have easily ended up playing on opposite sides had things gone differently.
Up until May, Arsenal were working on a deal for Benjamin Sesko before they pivoted to Viktor Gyokeres, as they felt he was more complete in his development and was primed to deliver straight away rather than require a bedding in period.
That is because Arteta is five years in charge and is expected to get over the line in a title race having turned Arsenal into a robust, consistent squad that should take care of United with a confidence that comes with such trust in their work.
The Gyokeres-Sesko storyline is a sub plot that will help shape people’s perceptions on what both clubs are capable of depending on how both players perform today.
Although would it be a surprise if Kai Havertz led the line as a false nine to ensure the kind of balance that Arteta craves in such situations?
And could this actually turn out to be one of the more enjoyable and optimistic seasons of mediocrity for United in recent years?
There are far too many weaknesses in the team – in goal, defence, midfield, possibly still even up front – to consider them a threat to the top six, but the reinforcements that United targeted in the attacking third during the summer, and which Amorim was keen on, might suggest that entertainment will at least form the bedrock of another campaign where rivals prove too strong.
The lack of goals last year – 44, eight more than relegated Ipswich Town – put even more pressure on the rest of the team so Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha’s arrival should supplement Sesko as the focal point.
Combined with Amorim’s work on the training ground, and there should be plenty of scope for more given the failure to qualify for Europe, this must result in greater fluency. The weaknesses elsewhere will be tolerated if there are clear signs of progress in the tactical plan and the decisions taken by the manager to improve dressing room morale prove correct in fostering team spirit.
Alejandro Garnacho will likely find his way to Chelsea towards the end of this transfer window, while Jadon Sancho looks like he will discover freedom at Roma before Antony can get a new club after impressing at Real Betis on loan.
The other member of the bomb squad told to stay away from the first team by Amorim was Marcus Rashford, and his loan move to Barcelona removes a further barrier to that quest for a cultural reset that has been a consistent reference point for those in power at the club.
“I know that we are training harder, we are training better, so I know that we are more prepared to cope with the demands of the game,” Amorim said.
“We have new players that we need to understand in the real game what they are capable to do in the moment.
“But I am really more confident. That is clear. I am more confident in this moment.”
There is optimism ahead of any new season but nowhere has quite suffocated hope like Old Trafford in recent years, and there won’t be much time to breathe against Arsenal today.