Sir Alex Ferguson Has Already ‘Told’ Ruben Amorim What to Do After Everton Loss
Ruben Amorim could do worse than following Sir Alex Ferguson's lead in how to respond after a disappointing 1-0 loss to Everton on Monday.
For the first time in Amorim's tenure, Manchester United looked like they had turned a corner after winning three games in a row - with home victories over Sunderland and Brighton in between a historic win over Liverpool at Anfield.
They followed that run up with back-to-back 2-2 draws against Nottingham Forest and Spurs but slipped to a fourth Premier League defeat of the season at home to 10-man Everton.
The Toffees had Idrissa Gueye sent off in the 13th minute for slapping teammate Michael Keane following a misplaced pass that allowed a chance for Bruno Fernandes.
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But a strike from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall gave Everton a hard-fought victory - and a first at Old Trafford since December 2013.
United's good momentum has faded away and they were booed off at half-time, with pressure returning on Amorim just after it was eased.
Ferguson mastered the art of bouncing back
Although a 13-time Premier League winner, Ferguson was no stranger to defeats in his career but made a conscious effort of mastering the art of reacting to a loss.
"Defeat happens," he said in an old interview with Jim White for Sky Sports.
"I can accept defeat, no bother. No problem for me. Maybe when I was very young, I found it difficult. But you have the dignity to eventually be able to accept defeat and be a good loser. But that doesn't mean to say you don't forget it.
"My purpose after that was to make sure it never happened again. I just hated losing that way. I would tell my players at the end of the game in no uncertain terms and would always try to find the reason why we lost.
"But the next match was another world and I made sure I was going to win that next match.
"That purpose and determination is something that's in you, it's either there or not."
United are in 10th place in the Premier League following a second home defeat of the campaign, three points off the top four with 12 games played.
The Red Devils had appear to make progress under Amorim after a positive run of games but the Portuguese manager is extremely concerned that they could fall back into the rut of last season, where they ended up finishing in 15th place and suffered 18 defeats in the Premier League.
"We are not there, not even near the point that we should be to fight for the best positions in the league," Amorim admitted.
"These five weeks everyone is praising our evolution. I'm always saying the same things. We are not even near what the moment we're supposed to be in this club.
"I feel afraid of returning to this feeling of last season. That is my biggest concern."
The former Sporting CP boss also enjoyed the fight between Gueye and Keane which brought the red card and encouraged his team to fight in a positive way.
"Fighting is not a bad thing," Amorim added.
"Fighting doesn't mean that they don't like each other. Fighting is that you lose the ball, I will fight you because we will suffer a goal. That was my feeling when I watched.
"I hope my players, when they lose the ball, they fight each other. That is a good feeling, not a bad feeling."
United look to bounce back on Sunday with a tricky trip to Crystal Palace prior to another London fixture against West Ham on Thursday night.
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Topics: Sir Alex Ferguson, Ruben Amorim, Man Utd
Josh Lawless