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  • 01/05/2025
Amorim and Ugarte on Manchester Utd's Europa League semi final at Bilbao

30/04/2025

uefa25 europa league
Transcript
00:00Okay, please wait for the microphone. Do we have a microphone available?
00:08And we'll start at the Frontier with Simon.
00:12Hi, Ruben. Good luck tomorrow.
00:14With the travelling squad, it's obviously expanded.
00:18So what's the thoughts with that?
00:20And we've seen Amad Diallo and Matthias de Ligt are involved.
00:23Are they fit to start?
00:24To start, no.
00:25But they can be on the squad to the game.
00:28And the rest of the players, we have a game tomorrow.
00:33Then we have to train here Friday.
00:37So we need to prepare not just this game, play this game,
00:41but also prepare the next game against Frankfurt.
00:43So we took a lot of, especially young kids, to prepare the next game.
00:51Does it feel like there's a different edge around the team heading into this match,
00:54given the importance of it?
00:56Not just in the team, but in the fans, in you guys also.
01:01So everybody knows that it's really important for our season.
01:05We know that nothing is going to save our season,
01:08but this can be huge, winning a trophy.
01:12And also to get in the Champions League, to have European games next year,
01:18could change a lot of things in our club, even in summer.
01:22Hi, Ruben.
01:28In the full knockout games, the team scored 12 goals,
01:32but in your past 12 Premier League games, you've only scored 12 goals.
01:36Why do you think the team is so much better in Europa League than Premier League?
01:40I don't know in that department.
01:43I don't know, because we had some games that we didn't create situations,
01:48but it's not the case in the last games.
01:50When we stopped for the national teams, we had against Nottingham,
01:55we had situations against Wolverhampton, we had situations.
01:58We had situations against Arsenal at our home.
02:01So we are creating the chances, but we are not scoring goals.
02:04And sometimes you don't have an explanation for that to happen.
02:10So if you create situations, you are needed to score a goal.
02:13But in Europa League, you are scoring more than in the league.
02:16I don't have a big explanation for that.
02:23Para Manuel, Âżpuedes hablar un poquito sobre la importancia de jugar en la Champions en la temporada que viene?
02:31Bueno, como decĂ­a el mĂ­ster, esto no va a cerrar la temporada,
02:38pero la historia del United se escribe también con títulos
02:42y creo que la Europa League va a ser importante.
02:45Por eso estamos todos enfocados en mañana
02:47y nos da la posibilidad de jugar la temporada que viene en Champions.
02:51Entonces es muy importante y todos juntos vamos a intentar ganar.
02:55Hi, Ruben.
02:59You've been very honest about the team's form this season since you took over.
03:04There's a scenario whereby you could finish 16th or 17th in the Premier League,
03:08win the Europa League and still get in the Champions League.
03:11Some people would say that devalues this competition
03:13and it's embarrassing that a team that finishes so low in a domestic league
03:17could be in the Champions League.
03:18What is your answer to that?
03:19I think it's the rules.
03:22It's hard to talk about that.
03:23Maybe it's not, you could say it's not fair
03:27because the best teams, the champions, should be in Champions League.
03:31But you have this competition to give a value to this competition.
03:37It's one way to reach, it's like one cup in our league.
03:42If you win the cup, you go to European games.
03:46So it's the rules.
03:47I don't know if it's fair or not.
03:51But if there is that possibility, we have to try to reach it.
04:03Hi, Ruben.
04:04Jokka has been mentioned as a potential transfer target.
04:08I know that you're not going to tell me if he's the one that you do want,
04:10but you brought him in from Coventry
04:12and helped him develop into one of Europe's best strikers.
04:16Is that the kind of project you want to do at Manchester United?
04:19Or are you looking to bring somebody in with that experience
04:23who can help the younger strikers we already have?
04:26Our focus is to help our players that we have.
04:29Rasmus scored one goal in the last game.
04:34Again, I think you can see that Rasmus has the talent.
04:37Josh has the talent.
04:38Shido has the talent.
04:41We have to improve the players.
04:43But to improve the players individually,
04:44we have to improve the way we perform, the way we play.
04:48And we are far from being a really consistent team
04:52that can help the strikers to score many goals.
04:56So, again, it's more...
04:58I already spoke about that.
05:00We are scoring.
05:00I think we have a clear lack of goals.
05:04And that cost us a lot of points this season.
05:09And we have to improve that to help the strikers to improve.
05:12Hi, Ruben.
05:14You've spoken before about the pressure that comes with playing for Man United.
05:18Obviously, tomorrow is very important.
05:20The season is riding on.
05:21You said there's implications.
05:22Maybe the summer budget, even the future of the club.
05:24Have you had any concerns about the players' ability to cope with that extra pressure,
05:28given that there's already pressure playing for Man United anyway?
05:30No, I think they are prepared.
05:33And if you see this team, maybe with some problems during the year,
05:37they were able to win cups.
05:40And that is also a pressure, especially the English Cup,
05:43that's a big thing in our league.
05:46So, they are prepared.
05:48Every player is international.
05:50But then the context in this season was really complicated in every aspect.
05:57So, I don't see that that is an issue.
06:02They are excited to be here.
06:04They want to win.
06:05They are capable of winning.
06:09Again, it could change our summer.
06:11It could change the next year.
06:13But if we want to improve the club, we should not be focused on this.
06:21It's not the most important thing in our club.
06:24We have to deal with a lot of things in our club.
06:26And we will be fine with Champions League or without Champions League.
06:32Hi, Robin.
06:33I'm Amanda from Danish Disney+.
06:35What kind of impact do you expect from Rasmus Højland tomorrow?
06:40The same that he had in the last game.
06:42He scored the equalizer.
06:45He's really anxious in every game to score goals.
06:49But he's working really hard.
06:50I already said that in some goals that we scored, especially in this competition, he was really important.
06:57He didn't score, but he makes a movement to open the space.
07:00So, I expect the same thing.
07:02He needs to work hard for the team.
07:03And I think he's in a good moment, in a good spirit to do a great game tomorrow.
07:12Hi, Ruben.
07:18Zygosport Netherlands.
07:19Could you talk to us a little bit about what that incredible comeback against Lyon has done to the confidence in this team
07:26and how far you can reach in this competition?
07:28I think it's more a club thing.
07:32Everybody knows that when you play in Old Trafford, something special can happen.
07:36But then in the next game against Wolves, we create a lot of situations that we didn't score.
07:42And that confidence came down a little bit.
07:44So, this season is a little bit like that.
07:46We are always searching for a great moment that can change a lot of things.
07:52We just need to be consistent.
07:54But it was a great night.
07:55And sometimes we don't, in this kind of season, you have these special moments that you can take.
08:02And in this kind of games, we can use that to fill the players to do something more special.
08:17A question for Manuel.
08:18How important is Manuel as a player that United are in the European competition next season?
08:23And also, can you explain why they've done so much better in Europe than in the Premier League this season?
08:28I think that something important, a big difference was the physical, I think we felt better playing in Europe physically.
08:48I think that was a big difference.
08:51I think that, as well as the Premier League has been in Europe, we have created situations and we haven't done it.
08:58And many times we've lost points in the Premier League for details.
09:03That are things that, in this league, as well as the Premier League, we have no idea what we can escape.
09:09And we have to be focused on that.
09:10But I think that there is a little bit of the physical and the tension, because I think that in the League of Europe, we were very focused on it and it has to be the same in the Premier League.
09:23Hi, Ruben.
09:28JĂĽrgen Klopp, when he became the Liverpool manager, talked about the need to turn doubters into believers.
09:34Obviously, you said already nothing will save your season, but would winning a trophy help you turn some of the doubters into believers?
09:40I think it's not the most important thing.
09:45Of course, people are going to look in a different way for this season, but especially for the coach.
09:54So, again, it's something more in the core of our club that a lot of things we need to change and we need to be consistent.
10:02So, Europa League is not going to change anything in our problems.
10:07It's going to help us to have Champions League next year, more money to spend, but the problems are still there.
10:14So, we have to change the minds of our fans with consistency, with good decisions, good recruitment, good academy.
10:23This is what we need to change to take this club back to the top.
10:30This is more a shortcut to go to the European games, nothing more.
10:37The problems we need to solve in a different way with more time and be really clear on that.
10:42We try to play the way we see the games and the way we work.
10:49We change each game.
10:56If we see the opponent against Bournemouth is a team that can press really high, so we suffer a goal, building up in the way we build up.
11:03Bilbao is more or less the same thing.
11:04So, we just focus on the way we play and then we see the opponent.
11:06We try to play the way we see the games and the way we work.
11:08We change each game.
11:10If we see the opponent against Bournemouth is a team that can press really high, so we suffer a goal, building up in the way we build up.
11:24Bilbao is more or less the same thing, so we just focus on the way we play and then we see the opponent.
11:31What is the strengths of the opponent?
11:33So, we will try to do the same.
11:36We are going to play the game that we see and we are paying attention to the strengths of the opponent.
11:43All at the front here from Manuel.
11:44Hello Manu.
11:45How are you playing with Casemiro this season and what have you learned?
11:58Well, the truth is that I am learning a lot with Casemiro.
12:02I have a very good relationship.
12:04I try to copy everything he has as a player.
12:10Not only in the field, but also outside.
12:13Because they are things that make you win too, because he is a winner.
12:18And I feel very comfortable.
12:20I talk a lot with him.
12:22And I think that today I am learning and I am very happy with the experience that I have.
12:29Good.
12:30Here Javier Ortiz de Lazcano.
12:31Here, at the bottom.
12:33Here I am.
12:34Here.
12:35Good.
12:36Javier Ortiz, welcome to Bilbao.
12:37Javier Ortiz de Lazcano, from El Correo.
12:38What fortalezas do you see in the Athletic, in his rival of the morning?
12:42And what points do you see?
12:47I think they have a lot of good things.
12:50I am not going to talk about the bad things.
12:53But they are really strong as a team.
12:56They are really intense.
12:57They are really aggressive.
12:59Even for a Spanish team, they are really aggressive on every duel.
13:03They have great players, one against one.
13:07Nico Williams is a special player.
13:12They are the best defense in Spain, in the league.
13:16We are not scoring too many goals.
13:18So it is going to be a tough match for us.
13:23We know that in the beginning of the game, 20-30 minutes especially,
13:27they are really strong and really intense.
13:29They use the crowd to take the game to a different level.
13:34And we are prepared for that.
13:35So we are going to face a very, very strong team.
13:39Okay, we'll leave you there.
13:40Thank you very much.

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