Manchester United: Amorim declines to cite absences as justification for surprising Wolves draw
Manchester United faltered at home once more.
Ruben Amorim offered no justifications for Manchester United’s most recent underwhelming display at Old Trafford, where they were unexpectedly held to a 1-1 draw by winless Wolves.
United squandered a golden opportunity to ascend into the top four of the Premier League against an opponent they had previously defeated 4-1 away from home earlier this month. Joshua Zirkzee seemed to set United on the path to victory with his opener in the 27th minute, but a header from Ladislav Krejci provided Wolves with only their third point this season.
Wolves had opportunities to secure their first win, and both the result and the manner of play will intensify scrutiny on Amorim, who has seen his team continually drop points at home this season.
Manchester United loses points once more
United managed a narrow 1-0 victory over Newcastle United at Old Trafford on Boxing Day, having previously failed to win their last three home matches. Everton secured an away victory over United in November, while United faced draws at home against both West Ham and Bournemouth.
The draw against Wolves occurred while United was missing a number of key players.
Harry Maguire, Matthijs de Ligt, Kobbie Mainoo, Bruno Fernandes, and Mason Mount were all sidelined due to injuries, while Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo, and Noussair Mazraoui were away at the Africa Cup of Nations.
When asked about those absences, Amorim stated on BBC Match of the Day: “Not blaming anything as an excuse. We aimed to deploy two strikers and then conceded from a set piece. Today was not our day.
“We anticipated this match would be different from Newcastle. We needed additional creativity to forge chances. We had difficulties in the first half attempting to regain possession. They packed the midfield. We made efforts, but the quality wasn’t present. We need to regroup for the next match.
“We attempted to overload one side, but in the Premier League, you require one-on-one situations, and we lacked that today.
“We don’t have the players who can operate on the flanks – we focused on the middle, but today was not in our favor.
“Even against Everton it felt like three points dropped, and West Ham was two points lost. It’s always frustrating. Football presents those challenges. If you concentrate on the performance, we struggled today.”
Amorim clarifies Zirkzee substitution
Goal scorer Joshua Zirkzee was taken off at half-time in a somewhat surprising substitution, as he was replaced by 18-year-old midfielder Jack Fletcher.
Regarding this decision, Amorim explained to Sky Sports: “We were moving around trying to gain possession. We found it hard against their midfielders, and at times, having fewer strikers can lead to better attacking opportunities. We started with three strikers, which is not always the optimal way to attack effectively.
“This match is behind us; the result cannot be altered, but we can progress to the next one.”
Published: 2025-12-30 23:25:00
source: www.101greatgoals.com
