Some of sad, just
Mourinho tears into his flops yet again
JOSE MOURINHO has issued another damning indictment of his Manchester United stars by saying: “Some care more than others.”
And he accused some of his players of putting on an act in a fake attempt to show they are bothered about an early-season crisis that has put his job on the line.
Mourinho refused to mention names but he knew full well his remarks would be interpreted as a thinly-veiled attack on Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial, who were both hauled off in the abject defeat at West Ham on Saturday that has intensified the pressure on him.
Mourinho has been picking fights with his underperforming charges all season and could not resist another dig.
In a surprisingly candid response to being asked about United’s worst start to a season for 29 years, he confessed he might be “naive” to think players will always play to their best, regardless of any tensions within the camp.
Ahead of two games that could decide his fate as United manager – Valencia in the Champions League tonight and Newcastle in the Premier League on Saturday – Mourinho said his squad’s failings were “a collective responsibility” but also pointed to the mentality and attitude of some of his players, suggesting appearances can be deceptive.
Asked about the reaction in training following the debacle at the London Stadium, he said: “Every player is different, no player is the same.
“I see different reactions but sometimes what you see is not really what is inside.
“I see sad people and I see people who do not look like they lost a game. I see so-so. You can be laughing and be the saddest person in the world. And you can have a very sad face and you can be a fantastic actor and inside of you, you are very happy.
“So sometimes what you see is not what you get. Some care more than others.”
After his experiences at Real Madrid, Chelsea and now Old Trafford, Mourinho says he still believes “big professional players” will always be “honest” on the pitch – if not for the manager then for their own professional pride and the fans. Although he did suggest this could be naivety on his part,
“After 20 years of football, or I am still the kid that I was 20 years ago and I am still naive, but I still don’t believe that a player is not honest,” he said. “Ask people with a great reputation in the game, ask them if at any time in their career they went to a game not to give the maximum, not to help the club, not to make the fans happy, not to try to give his best.
“And if somebody tells me, ‘I was a football player and in one occasion I didn’t give my best’, then I change my opinion.
“Until somebody that was a big professional player tells me, ‘I was a dishonest player’, I will always believe that the players are honest players and the players want to give their best. They do it, they don’t do it – that’s a different story. They perform, they don’t perform – that’s a different story.
“But, I repeat, I am naive or I still believe that the football player is an honest man.”
That belief will be put to a significant test against Valencia – themselves struggling in La Liga – and if United failed to win for a fourth successive game, the pressure will intensify.
There is speculation that France legend and former Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane is being lined up as a replacement at Old Trafford – reports
Alexis is working hard but perhaps he lacks that final bit to score goals