Manchester Evening News

Mourinho hints at tactics that cast doubt on Smalling

- By ALEXANDRA PORTER alexandra.porter@men-news.co.uk @AlexandraP­orterMEN

JOSE Mourinho has explained how United beat Ajax in the Europa League final – by playing beautiful football.

But his specific instructio­ns for Chris Smalling reveal why Victor Lindelof became the first signing of the summer.

The United manager has explained his meticulous preparatio­ns ahead of the match and the team talks he gave his players for the showpiece final in Stockholm last month.

He has also given a unique insight into the way he prepares for each match on United’s fixture calendar.

Mourinho‘s men have sealed a place in next season’s Champions League, while the release of the Premier League fixtures has confirmed the order of the opponents they will face in their challenge for the title.

And the manager has explained how he will treat each opponent differentl­y across four competitio­ns next term.

He told Portuguese outlet Tribuna Expresso: “I watched eight Ajax matches.

“In England I tend to watch two to three matches because I already know the opponent, but not in Europe. To me, analysing the opponent is key because the way I practice and play is influenced by it.”

In Stockholm, the plan took into account Ajax’s strengths, but also the weaknesses of his own defenders in playing the ball out from the back.

Smalling partnered Daley Blind at the heart of the defence, and had the suspended Eric Bailly been available the strategy might have been altered.

Speaking specifical­ly about his preparatio­ns for Ajax, Mourinho added: “We wanted to create instabilit­y. We would let them play out from the back while blocking De Ligt, their right centre back, making them play through Davinson Sanches who had more trouble.

“We’d make our full-back close down well that central space and if the ball entered a wide area for their winger, the full-back would close him down and Herrera would be the one covering that space in midfield.

“But what matters is that my players understand we cannot have doubts there – defensive creativity only in emergency situations.

“We prepare a game better when we’re aware of our own weaknesses.

“Everyone said Ajax played beautiful football and that the beauty of the game matters. I told my players that, for me, beautiful is not giving our opponents what they want. I even joked with Smalling – ‘With your feet, we’re for sure not playing out from the back’

“That’s where we won the game. During the initial stage of build-up we never played from our centreback­s to our midfielder­s, because they are great at recovering possession pressing high.

“In our midfield they didn’t recover the ball once. If the ball isn’t there, what are they going to press?”

 ??  ?? Chris Smalling
Chris Smalling
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