Reds looked anxious at Huddersfield, says Neville
GARY Neville was ‘stunned’ by Jose Mourinho’s suggestion the United players had a ‘poor attitude’ during their Premier League defeat at Huddersfield.
United suffered their first league loss of the campaign as they were deservedly beaten 2-1 by the newly-promoted side on Saturday.
Midfielder Ander Herrera conceded Huddersfield were ‘more aggressive’ and ‘played with more passion’ during the first-half and Mourinho was so startled by his remarks he suggested the players should hold their own press conference to explain the display.
Mourinho opined United lost ‘because of attitude’ and that he had never encountered such laxness from his players during a friendly. Neville was surprised by the United manager’s VICTOR Lindelof shielded his face with two hoods up as he left Huddersfield’s stadium on Saturday, ashamed that his supine defending had allowed Huddersfield to beat United for the first time since the year of Queen Elizabeth’s coronation.
Lindelof ’s only consolation was Jose Mourinho refused to scapegoat him in what was his first meaningful league appearance after he cameoed on his Premier League debut at Anfield. Lindelof is not ready to be upgraded to a supporting role and his anxiety was obvious seconds after Mourinho sent him on. Lindelof was frantically shouting at the bench to ask which side he should play and Huddersfield scented blood. Within 10 minutes of that jittery introduction, United were 2-0 down and David de Gea had conceded as many goals as he had in the previous eight league games.
Had Phil Jones not collapsed to the turf United might still have lost. Mourinho felt Lindelof’s – and Juan Mata’s – errors were in the ‘context’ of a spineless first 30 minutes where United’s players seemed so timid amid the swirling rain they might as well have worn snoods.
United should be above yielding to underdogs who had not won since the season’s second weekend, or drawing with Stoke, who have lost five of their six league matches since they denied United victory.
Those dropped points have exposed vulnerable chinks in the armour.
Mourinho resorted to publicly rebuking the whole side.
United’s players should have held their own press conference to explain their ‘poor attitude,’ he claimed, yet none of them stopped in the mixed zone and only Ander Herrera’s flash interviews with the broadcasters offered any candour.
Mourinho has thrown players under the bus before and it was a convenient diversion when a defeat like Saturday’s had been coming after he set the tone with that incongruous draw at Liverpool.
Mourinho’s air of negativity since Anfield, followed by his flirtation with Paris Saint-Germain, has sapped United of the momentum they had developed in the opening months and their attacking instincts have suddenly disappeared down a hole. Those close to United squad members believe certain forwards have suffered from the sudden emphasis on pragmatism. The slew of away games – Swansea today will be United’s sixth on the road in seven – have doubtless contributed yet Liverpool are the only fierce opponents United have had to travel to and Jurgen Klopp said on Sunday he could defend better than Dejan Lovren with trainers on. Tottenham showed the value of targeting a defensive dunce like Lovren and put two past Liverpool inside 12 minutes. United managed one attempt on target at Anfield as they made Alberto Moreno feel like Roberto Carlos and the ramifications from that unambitious approach were felt in Yorkshire.