Amorim explains why Europa League is ‘harder’ than UCL | OneFootball

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has explained why he believes the Europa League is ‘so much harder’ than the Champions League.

United secured a 1-1 draw at Real Sociedad in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie on Thursday evening. The club’s busy schedule continues this weekend, when Arsenal visit Old Trafford in the Premier League.

It’s a short turnaround for Amorim’s stretched squad, with the red Devils currently without several first-team regulars. Amad Diallo, Harry Maguire, Manuel Ugarte, Kobbie Mainoo and Luke Shaw are among the players currently sidelined.

Speaking at his pre-match press conference, Amorim believes the Thursday-Sunday schedule that comes with the Europa League makes the competition ‘so much harder’ than the Champions League in terms of recovery.

“In the beginning, people talk about our rotation. Especially in Europe, we were changing all the time. It’s because it’s really hard,” he said at his pre-match press conference.

“The Europa League is so much harder, in my opinion, than the Champions League. Not the games, but the recovery to play in the Premier League at the weekend. So, we have to deal with that.”

Amorim comes up against Mikel Arteta this weekend, a manager who has undertaken a similar project at Arsenal.

Arteta inherited a team that had missed out on Champions League football for three consecutive seasons, before overseeing season-upon-season improvement.

Now in his his fifth full season, Arsenal have finished as runners-up in the Premier League in successive seasons, but Amorim cast doubt on whether he would be afforded the same level of patience to rebuild.

“I will not have the time that [Mikel] Arteta had. I feel that it is a different club in that aspect.

“The way how Arteta dealt with that [dealing with issues within the club] it is an inspiration for everybody.

“I will not have the time that Arteta had.”

Read – Amorim offers encouraging injury update on Amad Diallo

See more – Eight talking points ahead of the Premier League weekend

Follow The Football Faithful on Social Media:

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | TikTok