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Ruben Amorim vowed to address Manchester United’s issues dealing with set-pieces and setbacks after nerves got the better of his side in Sunday’s 3-0 home humbling by high-flying Bournemouth.
A week after the memorable comeback derby win at rivals Manchester City, boos greeted the final whistle following a loss that left the Red Devils marooned in 13th place in the Premier League.
The head coach’s press conference was then briefly interrupted by a leak from the media-room ceiling.
United will spend Christmas in the bottom half for the first time since 1989 after the Cherries followed up last season’s historic first Old Trafford win with a victory by the same scoreline.
Once again set-pieces unsteadied Amorim’s men, with Dean Huijsen guiding home a first-half free-kick before Bournemouth completed a win through a Justin Kluivert penalty and Antoine Semenyo’s strike in quick succession after the break.
“Without conceding nothing (sic) to the opponent and then one set-piece makes us more nervous, all the stadium,” Amorim said after United’s costly set-piece struggles continued.
“I felt it since the first minute, there’s a lot of anxiety. That’s normal because of the context and it’s really disappointing.
“Then create a lot of chances to score and then again against like Tottenham, they score two goals and it’s really hard. After that third goal everyone is suffering in the stadium – the fans, the players, everybody.
“It’s a tough moment but we have to face it and prepare for the next game.”
Head coach Amorim took responsibility for the “difficult moment” as United refocus on the Boxing Day trip to a Wolves side buoyed by their 3-0 triumph at Ruud van Nistelrooy’s Leicester.
It’s a tough moment but we have to face it and prepare for the next game
Ruben Amorim
“It’s my responsibility to coach them,” the 39-year-old Portuguese said.
“Of course we want to improve and in this moment, everything is so (much) harder. A club like Manchester United to lose 3-0 at home, it’s really tough for everybody.
“Of course the fans are really disappointed and tired of this moment. You can feel it in the stadium, even in the first play, and I understand that, but we have to face it and we know what to do. We have to improve set-pieces.
“I think we are not giving the ball away as much as we do. We control better the game, we don’t concede a lot of spaces, transitions we control very well against one team that’s 60 per cent of the goals they score when they steal the ball in our half.
“We managed to do that but then in the set-pieces, one penalty and then that moment where we have to forget the context, everything and keep the ball for a moment and not try and score two goals right away.
“It’s a really tough moment and we have to understand what the players are thinking in that moment, when you suffer a 2-0, when you make a penalty, when the box is controlled.
“We will address that, we have to address that. It’s really tough for everybody to lose these types of games.”
While United stumble, Bournemouth will spend the festive period fifth after a superb victory that saw their travelling fans sing about European qualification as a dream campaign continues.
Impressive Cherries head coach Andoni Iraola said: “I think now (in) the standings everything is very close.
“I value the points. We have 28 points and these will not disappear but they are not enough for anything.
“We have to add a lot of points still, so we go week by week, game by game, and now focusing on (Crystal) Palace, Fulham a little bit.
“But I don’t think now so early it makes sense to look much to the standings.”
Asked about the supporters’ chants about a European tour, he said: “I think they have to enjoy it a lot because normally it doesn’t happen a lot of times that you come to these stadiums.
“I’ve come as a player and it’s difficult to have this kind of result, so obviously we have to enjoy, they have to enjoy.
“But we know how much it costs to win one Premier League game, just one against anyone.
“To win one Premier League game is very, very difficult, so we have to continue the same way otherwise the results will be much worse, for sure.”
