Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim was brutally frank about his side’s attacking flaws after Tuesday’s Premier League defeat against Nottingham Forest. Amorim conceded that the Red Devils don’t have the required quality to score goals after they dominated the ball but slipped to a 1-0 defeat at the City Ground.
United suffered their 13th league loss of the campaign after former winger Anthony Elanga carried the ball for over 80 metres and fired past Andre Onana in the fifth minute. The visitors controlled most of the proceedings after that defensive mix-up, though, recording 68 per cent possession and a 2.27 xG compared to the hosts’ 0.61. However, their attacking deficiencies proved costly once again, leaving them slumped in 13th while Forest’s Champions League push continued.
United have failed to score in 11 of their 30 Premier League matches this season, and only six clubs have an inferior goal tally.
After full-time, Amorim didn’t shy away from addressing the problem that couldn’t be more obvious at this stage of the campaign.
The Portuguese boss admitted that his side “cannot score goals” with their current lack of sharpness and bite in the final third.
“We controlled the game, but we already knew this team [Forest] can score goals out of nothing,” Amorim told TNT Sports.
“When they scored, we changed the game a little bit from what they wanted. We tried with good opportunities, but in the last third, the last pass, the last assist wasn’t there.
“Then if we don’t have that, we cannot score goals. This season is like that. We had a lot of shots on goal, we pushed the opponent to the last third, but in the last third, we had a lack of quality.
“We need to win games, and we deserved more in this game, that is clear, but it is our fault, and we need to be better in the last third.
“We should have won this game, not even drawn, but in the end, we have lost three points. We know the characters of the team and one goal can put them in one situation they love.
“We have to score two goals to win a match, and that is frustrating as it was the beginning of the game. We helped them to win three points.”
Despite tasting another defeat and winning just six of his first 19 league games in charge of United, Amorim is adamant he’s seeing improvements.
He added: “I see it in the game. I don’t lie to myself. Everyone can say whatever they want to say, but we need to win games. We go to the next game.
“We have the Europa League, and we have the next game in the Premier League, and that is the focus.”
Content Source: www.express.co.uk