Manchester United are set to face their biggest test of the season as they take on Liverpool away in the 20th gameweek of the English Premier League on Sunday, January 5. Manager Ruben Amorim shocked the Red Devils fans by revealing 'anxiety and fear' among his players ahead of the biggest football derby in England.
With just 6 wins in the first 19 games, Manchester United find themselves in the 14th position in the Premier League points table. Amorim arrived at Old Trafford in November but was not able to turn the sinking ship with just 4 wins in 11 overall matches.
The 19-time English champions are now just 7 points adrift of the relegation zone and next take on Liverpool, who are dominating the season by 5 points clear at the top. Manchester United have failed to score in their last games at Anfield and need something incredible to walk away with a point on Sunday.
When sked about the players' midset in the pre-match press conference, Manchester United's manager revealed the lack of motivation among the players. He added that the players are took afraid to play football at the moment and asked his senior leaders to step up.
"The players are anxious, and sometimes afraid on the pitch," Ruben Amorim said.
"We have to cope with that. We need the leaders to step up to help the other guys and I'm the most responsible person here to improve the performances. You can see the players are trying, sometimes too anxious, too afraid to play football because this is a difficult moment and we will help the players to be better."
Amorim also revealed the pressure he didn't expect before arriving in Manchester two months ago. The Portuguese coach said it's hard to cope with bad performances as his side fight to avoid relegation this season.
"Of course, there is a lot of pressure. For me, it's more the pride and also the performance. It's harder when we don't perform well," Ruben added.
"When I arrived I explained everything before, even when you guys were talking after Everton about the top four, I explained I was expecting this but it's hard to cope with all the problems and the bad performances and the losses. It's really hard.
"The only thing that can help me is training with the players. And I also have my family now here so it's so different and that can help me a lot."
