Mikel Arteta admits he has been impressed with the work Ruben Amorim has done at Manchester United so far, despite the former Sporting CP boss losing six of his first 12 games in charge.
Amorim was appointed United’s first head coach in November, replacing Erik ten Hag after the Dutchman failed to build on last season’s FA Cup final win over neighborhood rivals Manchester City.
Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Premier League leaders Liverpool was evidence that Amorim may be trying to impart his ideas to United’s players, but their performance levels have fluctuated wildly due to a spate of poor decisions and individual errors.
As for Arsenal, they haven’t been at their best for some time – Arteta’s charges have been hit by injuries to key personnel – and face a blockbuster FA Cup third round clash with Newcastle on the heels of a 2-0 defeat to United United in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final.
But it was Amorim’s start at Old Trafford that was soon brought to Arteta’s attention in his final press conference, and the Spaniard chose kindness in his response.
“If you look especially at the big teams and the results he has achieved and how they played, it is very impressive,” Arteta said of his Portuguese counterpart. “I know him well. I followed him a lot when he was in Portugal and there is a good reason why he is where he is at the moment. He absolutely deserves to be there.”
Explaining the difficulties of taking over a new club mid-season, Arteta continued: “Every manager has a specific reason when they are appointed. The reasons can be different. Sometimes it’s simply about improving a football team, getting more performance out of certain players and sometimes it’s about changing a football club. This is a completely different dimension of a task.
“If I have to refer to mine, it was more along those lines than the previous one I mentioned.”
Arteta, who scored against Amorim in Arsenal’s 2-0 win over United in the Premier League in December, then spoke about the need for home fans to support his players, particularly with United traveling with an 8,000-strong traveling squad becomes North London.
“Yes, we have to be louder, definitely more forward than them,” noted Arteta. “It’s a special occasion to create this atmosphere, a beautiful football atmosphere, let’s make it our own.”