Mikel Arteta admits he has been impressed by the work Ruben Amorim has done so far at Manchester United, despite the former Sporting CP boss losing six of his first 12 games in charge.
Amorim was appointed United’s first manager in November, replacing Erik ten Hag after the Dutchman failed to take advantage. winning last season’s FA Cup final against neighborhood rivals Manchester City.
Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Premier League leaders Liverpool it was evidence that Amorim may be getting his ideas across to United’s players, but their performance levels have fluctuated widely amid a glut of poor decisions and individual errors.
As for arsenalThey have not been at their free-flowing best for some time – injuries to key personnel affecting Arteta’s charges – and face an FA Cup third-round tie with United fresh off the back of one Defeat by 2-0 against Newcastle United in the first leg of the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup.
But it was Amorim’s start at Old Trafford that soon saw Arteta put under pressure in his latest press conference, with the Spaniard opting for kindness in his response.
“When you look especially at the big teams and the results he got and how they performed, it’s very impressive,” Arteta said of his Portuguese counterpart. “I know him well. I followed him a lot when he was in Portugal and there is a big reason why he is where he is at the moment. He fully deserves to be there.”
Elaborating on the difficulties of taking over a new club mid-season, Arteta continued: “Every coach when he is appointed has a reason. The reasons can be different. Sometimes it’s just to improve a football team, ​​to get more performance out of certain players and sometimes it’s to transform a football club It’s a totally different dimension of a job.
“If I have to relate to mine, it was more towards this than the previous one I mentioned.”
Arteta, who spent one in Amorim in December when Arsenal beat United 2-0 andin the Premier League, he would then talk about the need for home fans to get behind their players, especially how united will be an 8,000-strong traveling contingent to North London.
“Yes, we have to be louder, more on the front foot without a doubt than them,” remarked Arteta. “It’s a special occasion to create this atmosphere is beautiful, a good football atmosphere, let’s make it ours.”
