Jose rips into his stars: I could see this failure coming
JOSE MOURINHO accused his players of letting the Manchester derby win go to their heads after yesterday’s defeat at home to West Bromwich Albion saw Manchester City crowned Premier League champions. United’s comeback win at the Etihad only delayed City’s title party by eight days and Mourinho claimed that he could ‘smell’ the change in mood among his squad during the week. ‘I know them,’ he said. ‘I saw lots of people on the moon because we won against Manchester City — like to win against City was the most important thing ever. ‘In my opinion, it affected some of the people that were too happy just with that. During the week I was trying to fight that.’ The United boss admitted that his side did not deserve to beat bottom club Albion because his players were guilty of trying to be too fancy. Paul Pogba, in particular, was a disappointment following his two-goal performance in the derby. He was substituted in the second half, although Mourinho claimed that was to avoid him getting a second yellow card. ‘I think we were deservedly punished because we were masters in complication,’ Mourinho said. ‘The players didn’t want to play simple. Everything was slow, everything was one more touch, one more flick, one more turn, ball lost. There was no fluidity in our football. ‘Paul was complicated like all the rest of the players. He also had a yellow card.’ Mourinho admitted that City deserved to be champions but dismissed suggestions that United had handed the title to them by losing yesterday. ‘Come on,’ he said. ‘I wouldn’t be happy if somebody says I won the title because someone lost the match. ‘City won the title because they won more points than anybody else, because they won at Tottenham on Saturday and because they only lost two matches. ‘They didn’t win the title because Manchester United gave it to them.’ Mourinho backed himself to give Pep Guardiola a closer fight next season, saying: ‘I trust in my work. Eight titles and three Premier Leagues. I know how to win.’
AFTER failing to beat their neighbours to clinch the Premier League title last weekend, Manchester City would have settled for this as a decent second best.
From their sofas, from the pubs and — in Pep Guardiola’s case — from the golf course, they would have watched and learned of Manchester United’s demise with something approaching incredulous glee.
Nobody loses to West Brom these days. For sure, nobody loses to West Brom at home. Not in the Premier League, anyway. But only two days after City manager Guardiola had warned this title race was not over, last weekend’s conquerors of the country’s best team took a loaded shotgun to their feet and promptly blew off their own toes.
It is rare in sport to be able to celebrate your own achievements and wallow in the misery of your greatest rivals all at the same time. But that was how it fell for City here.
United were as wretched as City have been magnificent all season. We have been aware of the increasing numerical gap between these two teams for some time but here on the wet, green grass of Old Trafford you didn’t need to refer to the league table to work it out for yourself.
United were slow, passive, unimaginative and lacking in presence. In other words, they were everything City are generally not. They did not entertain, they did not impose themselves and they did not play with personality. This has too often been their way this season.
While City managed to lift themselves after losing three big games in a week to win at Wembley against Tottenham, United managed to do exactly the opposite.
After coming from behind to beat City, United had a week in which to build on it. Instead, Mourinho said last night that his players spent seven days ‘on the moon’. If they did it must have been a blue one.
United have constructed a league campaign characterised largely by stubbornness. They have been routinely unimpressive but have shown enough presence to grind out results to remain in second place. That says as much about the strength of Mourinho’s will as anything.
But stubbornness and cussedness will only take you so far in a Premier League that has at the top end other teams who are always likely to play better football than you.
Here at a dismal Old Trafford, we saw the reality of the modern United. Under Mourinho, they are a prosaic team and continue to look even more so when compared to the flamboyant outfit across town and the one at the other end of the East Lancs Road, Liverpool.
United supporters will say they don’t care about handing City the title in this way. But the truth is that afternoons like this hurt deeply. Last week they rejoiced in spoiling City’s party but in the wake of this capitulation, even that victory will feel hollow.
Mourinho didn’t dodge any issues afterwards and appeared to point the longest finger of all at Paul Pogba, withdrawn after an hour when on a yellow card. United had been
poor in the first half and Pogba had been typical of that. We came to old Trafford expecting a cake walk, really. West Brom had taken a point from their previous 10 league games and were resigned to relegation. united, meanwhile, came into this game with places in next Saturday’s FA Cup semifinal team up for grabs. Strangely, what we saw was very different. united should have had a penalty in the 18th minute when Craig Dawson tripped Ander Herrera. Maybe that would have changed the game. Maybe it wouldn’t. West Brom were well organised and also ambitious. Their two forwards Jay rodriguez and Salomon rondon were progressive and dangerous and when they combined early to set up Jake Livermore, the midfielder should have done better than bring a low save from David de Gea.
Too often, De Gea is crucial to united’s chances of winning games. Here one of his predecessors, West Brom’s Ben Foster, was also impressive and he saved well in either half from romelu Lukaku as united created two or three good chances.
But there was never any intense pressure placed on the West Brom goal. There was never a sense of inevitably that a goal would come. united rarely play that way.
Mourinho made wise substitutes and Jesse Lingard improved them a little with his pace and directness.
Then West Brom scored and blew the doors off. Matt Phillips won a corner with 17 minutes left and when the ball was delivered to the far post, Nemanja Matic directed a header back across his own goal under pressure from Dawson for rodriguez to finish.
united had been warned. Dawson had won a similar, farpost header in the first half, but Mourinho’s team were slow to learn and unable to respond.
They had 17 minutes left plus four of added time and created a single half- chance — Chris Smalling heading into Foster’s arms in the 93rd minute.
So the game was up and with it the title. united remain capable of bespoke performances against big teams. They have beaten Liverpool, City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham this season. Mourinho can inspire them sporadically but can he do it over the length of a season?
In the directors’ box here, members of the Glazer family must have wondered.
Mourinho is their third manager since Sir Alex Ferguson. The united owners and the club’s supporters must wonder just when this ship is going to turn back round.