Manchester United travel to face Liverpool on Sunday, with Ruben Amorim’s side looking to make it two wins in two and heap more misery on Arne Slot’s men
Ruben Amorim has vowed to change Manchester United’s mentality and turn his players into clutch performers. The United boss’ comments were in stark contrast to those of Michael Owen, who thinks their tag as underdogs could play into their hands when they take on Liverpool.
The fierce rivals clash on Sunday, with United aiming to secure back-to-back victories and deepen the misery for Arne Slot’s outfit, who arrive on the back of three straight losses.
Amorim eased some of the mounting pressure on his position with a win over Sunderland ahead of the international break, but he’ll be eager to generate some momentum following a sluggish start to the campaign.
The Portuguese boss has been talking confidently as he attempts to reverse United’s fortunes. Ahead of the journey to Liverpool, he vowed to challenge his squad to shift their mindset and deliver when it matters most.
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Despite Liverpool’s recent struggles, Slot’s team remain favourites, and Owen believes that could work in United’s favour.
The 45-year-old, who enjoyed a three-year spell at United, reckons Amorim’s players are more inclined to shine when expectations are minimal and could snatch an unexpected victory.
Speaking to the MEN via casino.co.uk, he said: “Whoever Liverpool were going to play after the break, they need to get back on track, don’t they?”.
“They’ll be pleased to be in front of the home crowd, after the away defeats to Palace, Galatasaray and Chelsea. They’ve got a good record against Manchester United in recent years.
“Manchester United won’t be looking forward to going to Anfield. No team looks forward to going to Anfield!”.
“That being said, a small part of me thinks that it’s better for Manchester United to go to Anfield right now, rather than to play at Old Trafford. At Old Trafford, you’ve got to show some form of ambition. You’ve got to go out and attack, even if you die on your sword. You’ve got to push the boat out and take a couple of risks.”
Owen, who began his professional journey at Anfield, continued: “You’re in front of your home fans, and they demand that. Whereas at Anfield, I don’t think you’ll get criticised for just parking the bus, getting everybody behind the ball and playing on the counter-attack.
“It probably suits Manchester United; they hate giving space behind their defence. They haven’t got any pace at the back. It suits them to sit on the edge of the box and defend.
“Their defenders are probably some of the best in the league for standing on the edge of the box, heading it out, volleying it out and just generally being big, tough, old-fashioned centre halves.
“The match could work in Manchester United’s favour in numerous ways, provided they target a goalless draw, perhaps catching Liverpool on the break. I would imagine it’s going to be Liverpool in possession a lot of the time, trying to prise them open and then United counter-attacking when they can.”
Owen’s remarks fly in the face of the mindset Amorim is attempting to instil at Old Trafford.
The Portuguese manager nearly ended United’s barren run at Anfield last term, only for Harry Maguire to squander a golden opportunity in the dying moments as the match finished 2-2.
The Reds’ fortress has proved a nightmare venue for the Red Devils in recent years, but Amorim insists the club’s approach to facing their bitter rivals must evolve.
He said: “Maybe the expectations when you have to win and the responsibility of winning, it is so much harder to play like that, that is why when you play for big clubs you need to win every match, especially when people are expecting you to win and we have some difficulties to deal with that when you guys expect Manchester United not to win that game, maybe it is easier for the players to perform and we need to change that.
“To change that we need to have more confidence to win games, gain more points and more free[dom] to play the game.”
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