Amorim eyes win in first United home game

Ruben Amorim said struggling Manchester United need a win to kickstart his Old Trafford revolution as he prepares for a “special” first home match against Bodo/Glimt today. United had a disappointing 1-1 draw at Ipswich on Sunday in Amorim’s first game in charge since replacing the sacked Erik ten Hag, leaving them 12th in the Premier League table.
Today they face Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League after one win and three draws in their opening four matches in the competition. “It is said to me that it will be a special time,” Amorim told his pre-match press conference . “I just want to win the game, just to give that happiness to the supporters. Before the match it will be like a new sensation but after the whistle it will be one more game and we want to win that match.”
Amorim, who changed United’s formation against Ipswich, said the club needed to feel “momentum”. “It’s important when you are putting an idea,” he said. “If you win it’s a big help.”
The former Sporting Lisbon boss admitted after the draw at the weekend that United would “suffer for a long time” as he puts his stamp on the club. And on Wednesday he admitted he did not know how long it would take players to get used to his methods, explaining it was difficult to draw parallels with his previous experiences.
“You can say that this is a different league so it’s harder than in Portugal,” he said. “But I also have more experienced players and all these guys play for national teams. They just need to increase their confidence and at the moment I don’t know how to answer that question. I don’t know how long. But I will know that with a lot of games without time to train it will be tough for me but it will be tougher for them because they are on the pitch and they will suffer a little bit. I will try to help and we have to manage to win some games and try to increase that idea in the team.”
Amorim said United had firepower in their ranks despite their lack of goals this season and that he would try to help out-of-form Marcus Rashford. “We will try to find the right solution for him, as for the other players,” he said. “He has to be Marcus, first of all, to try to return to that moment. Then he will have the help of all the staff, all the club and all the fans because he’s a Manchester United boy. But he has to be the first one to really want it.”
Postecoglou backs Forster to step up after Vicario’s surgery
Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou praised Guglielmo Vicario for playing with a broken ankle in their 4-0 win over Manchester City before he underwent surgery but said that he had full faith in Fraser Forster stepping up.
Vicario completed the full 90 minutes of the game away at City where they recorded a famous win but the 28-year-old Italian is now set to be sidelined for a few months as Spurs enter the busiest period in the calendar. Postecoglou said losing Vicario to injury is a big blow because he was having an “outstanding season” while he was growing as a leader in the squad.
“It’s not going to be weeks, it’s going to be months... With surgery, there are certain timelines,” Postecoglou told reporters ahead of Europa League game against AS Roma. “I don’t like giving timelines so early in the process on something like that because it puts undue pressures on the player and also, maybe some expectations. I think once we get the past the rehab stage, we will have a clearer idea.
“Externally, people now realise and it is a testament to him. He’s as tough as nails, as tough as they come. The fact he played at that level for 60 odd minutes with a fractured ankle was quite outstanding.”