Manchester United lost on penalties to League Two side Grimsby Town in the second round of the League Cup; Grimsby led 2-0 before Bryan Mbeumo and Harry Maguire equalised; Ruben Amorim has not won a game this season; the Red Devils manager has left a cryptic comment about the changes needed in the team.
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Key moments from Grimsby Town v Manchester United in the League Cup second round
Ruben Amorim has spoken out about the need for change after the defeat to Grimsby Town, stressing that the solution cannot be “changing 22 players again”.
Manchester United suffered a humiliating defeat to the League Two side, going down 11-12 in the shootout despite coming back from 2-0 down in the final 15 minutes of normal time. The manager repeatedly stressed that “the players spoke volumes” with their performances on the pitch.
Amorim remain winless in their first three competitive matches of the season despite a strengthened attack with Benjamin Cesko, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo all featuring in the game, with tensions mounting ahead of their upcoming Premier League home clash with Burnley.
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Ruben Amorim has responded to the penalty shootout defeat to Grimsby, dismissing goalkeeping issues and pointing to systemic difficulties.
“We are going through a period where change is inevitable,” the specialist told ITV. “We are facing many challenges but it is important to show character at times like these.”
“If we don't go out on the pitch with the right attitude, we'll have to change something, but the solution isn't to renew the whole squad again.”
Andre Onana, making his season debut, made mistakes in both goals conceded, first failing to deal with Charles Vernant's shot and then making a mistake on the pass that led to Tyrell Warren's goal.
However, Amorim insists the team's problems go beyond the goalkeeper.
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Ruben Amorim reacts to Manchester United's disappointing performance.
“When you play against a fourth division team, it's not the goalkeeper that's the problem, it's the approach,” he told Sky Sports. “It's the reaction to the opponent, the atmosphere. The team showed their attitude today – the players spoke for me very clearly.”
“It doesn't matter whether we were able to come back. What matters is what signals the team gave from the first minutes.”
“The more motivated team won. Strong players lose when the opponent shows more desire.”
“Today the players expressed everything without words. We lost – that's the reality.”
Illustration: Amorim's anti-records at Manchester United
Asked about the meaning of the phrase “the players spoke very loudly”, Amorim replied: “It's obvious. We have to look forward. Today's game speaks for itself.”
“We lost control from the first minutes, without feeling the tension. The pressure from the opponent disoriented the team. This was eloquently demonstrated by their play.”
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Grimsby Town beat Manchester United 2-0 in League Cup
“A defeat becomes a lesson when you see new problems. Today's game highlighted issues that are difficult to talk about.”
“I want to apologize to the fans. Their support is priceless, but today we have nothing to justify.”
“The team's response was given on the pitch. Now we will focus on the match against Burnley and the subsequent break to work on the mistakes.”
Dalot questions team's level
Manchester United defender Diogo Dalot on MUTV:
“The first half was unacceptable – we lost control of the ball, lost in one-on-one battles and set pieces.”
“The comeback in the second half was the least we could show the fans and the club.”
“We can't expect easy victories. The opponent deserves respect, but we have to demonstrate a higher level.”
“These are basic requirements. We need to avoid repeating such scenarios.”
Statistics Haunting Amorim
Pictured: Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes after the match
- The first defeat in the club's history to a fourth division team in a cup tournament.
- Amorim's win percentage (35.6%) is the worst of any United manager in the Premier League era, below Rangnick (37.9%) and significantly worse than Van Gaal (52.4%) and Moyes (52.9%).
- 7 wins in 29 PL matches. Not a single series of two wins in a row.
- Last season ended with a record low 42 points, 15th place and 44 goals in the PL.
- The number of matches played in the Premier League (29) exceeds the number of points scored (28).
Sourse: skysports.com
