Ruben Amorim believes Manchester United are showing greater confidence and physicality this season despite their opening day defeat to Arsenal. The United manager sees clear improvements in his squad's mentality and fitness levels ahead of Sunday's trip to Fulham.
United fell to a 1-0 defeat against Arsenal last weekend following a goalkeeping error from Altay Bayindir. However, Amorim was encouraged by the overall performance after a summer rebuild that included signings of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko.
Improved confidence and freedom
The Portuguese coach has noticed his players operating with more freedom on the pitch. Amorim said: "When we are playing, I think you can see we are more confident. I feel the team is more free playing the game and that is something that I watched during all the games since we start this season."
He attributed the improvement to better understanding of his tactical system and successful pre-season preparation. Amorim explained: "Maybe when you have a good performance, even in pre-season, you get confidence. Then you have more time to train, you have more time to understand the way we play, you are free."
Physical transformation evident
Amorim highlighted significant improvements in his team's physicality and reaction times during matches. He pointed to specific examples from the Arsenal game, noting how players like Casemiro were "sprinting full power" and operating "in a different pace."
The manager cited data to support his observations about increased fitness levels. Amorim said: "Against Arsenal, we were sometimes building up, but we had to kick the ball, and you can see the reaction of our players in the second ball, the duels. We are stronger, we are recovering position faster."
Fulham test awaits
United travel to Craven Cottage on Sunday for their second Premier League fixture of the season. According to The Guardian, United have an excellent recent record at Fulham, having not lost there since 2009 and winning eight of their nine matches.
The Mirror reports that United invested £200 million in their summer attacking additions. The absence of European football this season has provided Amorim with additional training time to implement his methods.
Lisandro Martinez and Noussair Mazraoui remain sidelined through injury for the Fulham match. Amorim faces a decision over Andre Onana's return after the Cameroon goalkeeper missed the Arsenal game despite recovering from a hamstring problem.
Sources used: "The Guardian", "The Mirror" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
