Ruben Amorim said his players were guilty of overthinking after Manchester United began life under their new manager with a 1-1 draw at Ipswich.
Marcus Rashford and Omari Hutchinson exchanged first-half goals at a cram-packed Portman Road.
United set up in a back-three — the system favoured by Amorim at his previous club, Sporting Lisbon — and were indebted to goalkeeper Andre Onana for a string of top saves, particularly in the first half.
The combined 102 kilometres United’s players covered in the duration of the match was their second-lowest figure all season, and Amorim revealed there is plenty for his side to improve.
The Portuguese told Sky Sports after the match: “I think my players were thinking too much during the game. You could feel it. They were thinking not just on the ball but about where they were supposed to be.
“In the first half, we needed more physicality. We will have problems; the players will be confused sometimes. But we have to address, [from] this moment, the new ideas and try to be better next year at the same stage.”
Amorim was asked by Sky Sports pundit and ex-United midfielder Roy Keane whether poor decision-making is an issue he is having to resolve.
“That is a concern,” Amorim admitted. “We are doing some things not in the right moment. That is something we have to address.
“Everyone talks about the 3-4-3; that is not the concern. A system is a system, but the understanding of the game I think we have to improve a lot. We will need a lot of time to improve these things.
“It was a tough match. We lost some balls without pressure. We [only] had two days [of training], so they are confused, a little bit. They are really, really trying, and they want this.”
