Ruben Amorim praised his coaching team after Manchester United’s thrilling penalty shootout win over Arsenal in the FA Cup.
The game kicked off with United taking the lead thanks to Bruno Fernandes in the 52nd minute. But things got a bit dicey when Diogo Dalot got sent off just nine minutes later. Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhaes equalized shortly after, making it a tense match.
Martin Odegaard had a chance to put Arsenal ahead with a penalty in the 72nd minute, but he missed. United managed to hold on, and it all came down to penalties. Amorim’s team picked Joshua Zirkzee for the crucial fifth kick, while Leny Yoro and Lisandro Martinez took the third and fourth.
When asked about Zirkzee taking that big kick, Amorim said he wasn’t worried at all. He trusted his coaching staff to choose the right players for the penalties. He mentioned how great Carlos Fernandes, Andreas Georgson, and Manuel Ferro were in preparing the team for set pieces.
There was some drama with a penalty call against Harry Maguire, which left the players fuming. But Amorim didn’t want to dwell on it since it didn’t cost them the game. He just wanted to focus on the next round.
He admitted it was a tough match, especially playing with one less player for a good chunk of it. But scoring first gave them the strength to endure. He noted that even when they weren’t playing their best, they managed to control the game at key moments.
Amorim also talked about the need for players like Alejandro Garnacho to adapt their game. He believes that if they can play both inside and outside, they’ll become much more complete players. It’s a work in progress, but he’s optimistic about their improvement.
