STAYAT HOME AND WATCH IT ON TV!
Jose’s message for stars who cannot handle Old Trafford heat
JOSE MOURINHO says his players would be better off staying at home and watching Manchester United on television if they cannot handle the pressure of performing at Old Trafford.
United have won only three of their nine fixtures there this season going into tonight’s Champions League game with Young Boys, when they could set a club record of three home games in Europe without a goal.
Mourinho was reluctant to accept that his team would prefer to play away at the moment but he had an emphatic message for anyone who felt cowed by the prospect of playing at Old Trafford.
‘If you feel pressure, stay at home,’ said the United boss, who has orchestrated away wins over Young Boys and Juventus in Group H. ‘When I say “home” I don’t say “stadium home”, I say “home home” and watch on TV.
‘ When the people come to support, come on. I don’t feel pressure to play at home.
‘I think it would be a lack of respect to the stadium and fans to say we prefer to play away from home. I totally refuse to say that. Do I prefer to play Young Boys tomorrow here or go to Bern? I would say immediately to play at home. Always.’
United’s latest setback at home came in Saturday’s goalless draw with Crystal Palace in the Premier League. Mourinho accused his players of lacking ‘heart’, and last night blamed the performance on them not following instructions.
‘I want the team to start strong and go strong on the opponent, not to be waiting,’ he said.
‘Probably you or the fans think Jose told them to start slow and play nice and easy, or to be waiting for them to react. It’s exactly the opposite. I want the team to go immediately and it’s a bit frustrating.’
United can clinch qualification for the knockout stage for the second year in a row if they beat Young Boys and Valencia fail to beat Juventus in Turin.
Mourinho wants his players to secure their place in the last 16 now rather than having to rely on getting a result in Spain in a fortnight.
‘If we don’t win tomorrow, we still don’t depend on other results,’ he added. ‘But I want to play from minute one like it’s the last chance we have to qualify.
‘Let’s forget Valencia. Let’s play this game like a game we have to win.’
Luke Shaw responded to Mourinho’s comments about his team at the weekend by insisting there is enough commitment in the United dressing room — but admitted that the players need ‘a thick skin’ to work under their Portuguese coach.
Shaw has come under more criticism than most from Mourinho who questioned the ‘character’ and ‘personality’ of the England defender and some of United’s other young players in a recent television interview.
‘You need a thick skin, playing for the manager,’ said Shaw.
‘But I look in the training ground and the changing room, and I think everyone wants the same — that’s to win games and to climb up the table.’
After suffering the embarrassment of arriving late for their last two Champions League home games against Valencia and Juventus, United have been working with Greater Manchester Police to ensure it does not happen a third time.
The squad will assemble at the Hilton Garden Inn, less than half a mile from Old Trafford, again today, even though they still encountered heavy traffic for the Juventus game and Mourinho walked the rest of the way to the stadium.
‘The information I have is that things are going to be much better than the last time,’ he said. ‘If it isn’t better, I walk.’