Ahead of Manchester United’s away trip to Crystal Palace in the 13th round of the 2025-26 Premier League season, manager Rúben Amorim attended a pre-match press conference and discussed various aspects of the team’s current situation in detail.
On the team’s need to win
“Just like last season, we have to fight for victory in every game. However, we have faced criticism for not winning matches. We have no excuses for these results. Based on our actual performances, we are fully capable of getting more points. During the games, we lost control of the situation—we had opportunities to gain more points, but the final outcomes were disappointing.”
On maintaining the team’s high morale
“This week has been really tough for us, but the team’s progress can’t stall. We must quickly adjust our form and make full preparations for the next game.”
On the team’s injury situation
“Šeško’s recovery hasn’t gone as well as expected; he will need more time than anticipated to return to the pitch. Maguire and Cunha are still unavailable for selection, but Cunha’s recovery is progressing smoothly and he should be back for next week’s game against West Ham United.”
On the team’s sense of urgency
“If you watched our last three games, you’d see we could have performed better and picked up more points. We had a chance to win that game, and we must truly feel this sense of urgency. If we recognize this, we need to do everything perfectly in training and matches.”
On the team’s away form
“We need to explain to the players why we lost control of the game rhythm against Nottingham Forest and Tottenham—games we had a great chance to win. At home, we often show more intense competition and a stronger desire to win, but we failed to do so in those two away games. It’s hard to pinpoint a specific reason for this; in fact, we do have certain advantages in away games.”
On comparing Manchester United to Crystal Palace
“There are obvious differences in the way our two teams play, which you can clearly see from various statistics. Crystal Palace is a unique club, and they perform better than us in some aspects. Our style of play is different, but there’s no denying they handle certain phases better. I’ve faced Glasner (Crystal Palace’s manager) on the pitch before, and I draw useful experience and inspiration from every manager. I usually observe all coaches’ methods carefully—I’ve been a manager for six years, and during this time I’ve been constantly learning and improving myself.”
On the wing-back position
“We need time to further improve the team’s characteristics and tactical system. In terms of strength, we should be capable of dealing with situations where we’re playing against ten men—these are areas we will strive to change and enhance. I don’t know how you interpret Crystal Palace players’ statistics, but in my opinion, you can’t simply compare the two teams’ players’ data directly.
“Sometimes, we have a strong desire to make significant changes to the team. Most of the time, I play Amad at right wing-back, but he often moves positions during games. Crystal Palace is very good at transitional attacks—better than us. We must conduct careful and in-depth research on these situations, but it’s certain that we have room for improvement in every position and can do better.”
