Man United's Ruben Amorim puts blame on team's 'focus' as rough start to Premier League season continues

Ruben Amorim's vision is coming together at Manchester United despite them failing to defeat Fulham away at Craven Cottage on Sunday, where things ended in a 1-1 draw with the Red Devils' Bruno Fernandes missing a penalty kick. Emile Smith Rowe brought things level after United forced Fulham into an own goal, but it was a mixed match that showed both where things are getting better for United and that they still have room for improvement at the same time, registering one point from two games and zero goals actually scored by them.

Coming out of the gate, Matheus Cunha could've had a hat trick in 10 minutes, being denied by the post and a great save by Bernd Leno. The attack was moving faster than ever, with United operating in a route-one approach, even with Benjamin Sesko beginning the match on the bench. Bruno Fernandes flowed into space, and when United were playing with the ball at their feet, Fulham struggled. However, out of possession, the weakness in midfield showed.

It's an issue that starts with their captain, Bruno Fernandes. The signings of Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo have improved the attack, but they've also pushed Fernandes deeper into midfield to play alongside Casemiro. It leaves United defensively light while already having goalkeeping issues, and it was something Fulham took advantage of. Defensive lapses are nothing new for the Red Devils, but they are something that Amorim needs to iron out if things are going to improve. It's a long road to improving a team that finished 15th in the Premier League last season, but Amroim is working on that.

"I think we can do better, but we are putting in the effort, so that is the most important thing to me. I think in some moments that we did well, especially in the beginning of the game, and I felt that after the goal we were thinking about the result, just the result, and this team needs to win the game," Amorim said following the match on the USA Network broadcast. "We need to focus on the performance of what we need to do because if we think about the results, we forget to do the normal things."

Amorim illustrates the pressure that the team is currently under, and it's a joint effort for United to get out of that. Old Trafford isn't referred to as the Theater of Dreams by accident, and the spotlight will continue to shine brightly on his squad. It's something that the players will have to get used to, or they'll find themselves out of the XI because Amorim has shown no fear in benching players who aren't playing his way, and he's also made it clear how he wants to play.

He wants the team to play with possession and push the pace while being on the front foot during matches, which they did during most of the first half. Even with his run up being disrupted, Fernandes can't be sending a penalty high and wide of the net. That goes in, and it's a different story for United in the match. But that goes to show how fragile things are at the club right now. It has been a long time since they've gone on a run of form, and losing a Europa League final to Tottenham is also something that sits with United, adding more pressure after failing to quality for Champions League. 

It creates quite a task for Amorim, and it's one that will only get harder if United's form doesn't pick up while the luster of new signings wears off. There's things that can help such as playing the academy players who are ready and can be too young to feel the pressure thrown upon them, but when players like Kobbie Mainoo have been absent from proceedings so far this season, it's clear that Amorim still needs to find the balance of who he wants in his XI from week to week. But time doesn't wait at United, and they'll need to pick up that first win of the season as soon as possible, or pressure may break the club even more than it has already broken.