UNITED V LIVERPOOL Jose urges fans to copy away day Reds
JOSE Mourinho has called on United’s home crowd to emulate the club’s away following against Liverpool today.
The Reds’ away support is regarded as among the best in the country, and their backing at Crystal Palace on Monday night was noticeable, even when United trailed 2-0.
Nemanja Matic rewarded the Reds’ followers by celebrating his 91st-minute winner with them in the Arthur Wait Stand.
The Reds have drawn their last three Premier League matches with Liverpool and are winless against them in the last five, but Mourinho is hopeful the supporters will play their part in securing three points.
“It helps,” Mourinho said. “Crystal Palace, I can imagine if we are losing 2-0 and our away fans, how many? Two thousand? We could feel disapproval, criticism or support.
“Two-nil down and we only felt support and at 2-1 we felt more belief and at 2-2 we felt they want us to go for it. They can help. Old Trafford is a huge majority of Manchester United fans, so they can help.”
Romelu Lukaku dubbed himself Mourinho’s ‘sergeant’ earlier this week and the United manager was amused by the moniker.
“I had a laugh with him,” Mourinho admitted. “That’s fine, he’s an important guy for me, one of the guys that I trust, I love the character.
“I told him to play central defender after our third goal on Monday. So when I say to the striker go there and do a job for me, he is a sergeant. It’s not just about the goals he scored but what he brings to the team.” JOSE Mourinho has aimed a dig at pundits who struggled in management, following further criticism of Paul Pogba.
Former United captain and Valencia manager Gary Neville claimed Pogba approached the game against Crystal Palace ‘like a YouTube or an Instagram video,’ and insisted the Frenchman deserved to be dropped last month.
Mourinho appeared to be talking about Neville’s fellow Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness in his final programme notes of last season after the former Liverpool manager questioned the calibre of United’s midfield. Mourinho claimed ‘it’s not my fault if their managerial career was very poor.’ But Souness has repeatedly criticised Pogba this Jose Mourinho
DOES MATA START? WHENEVER Juan Mata is omitted from the United side it hardly causes an outcry. Then when Mata is reintroduced, fans are reminded of how decisive a footballer he can be, with the latest example coming at Selhurst Park.
Mata plundered three goals against Liverpool in United’s 2014-15 wins, but he is rarely selected by Jose Mourinho in the starting XI against a top-six side.
He lined up in May’s defeats at Arsenal and Tottenham, matches campaign. The former Liverpool boss has not managed since he was sacked by Newcastle in 2005, and Neville lasted less than four months at Valencia two seasons ago and has vowed not to return to management. Following the Palace win, Mourinho was asked about some of the issues United have encountered with their style, and immediately rounded on certain pundits. “Some of the guys with an opinion couldn’t resolve their own problems when they were managers,” Mourinho said. “So they are giving opinions like they have solutions for everything. “But it’s not like that, but they are in a position where they can give opinions about everything. Sometimes I read and listen, sometimes I don’t – this week I was more focused on enjoying Champions League and Europa League and preparing Mourinho wasn’t too concerned about as the Europa League was prioritised. The last meaningful Mata appearance in a top-six encounter was the November 2016 draw with Arsenal, when he scored.
The Spaniard has emerged off the bench against Tottenham and City this term, but the chances of a my match than be focused on opinions.”
Neville was analysing United’s encounter with Crystal Palace on Monday Night Football and claimed they played like a ‘team of individuals’ after going in 1-0 down at half-time, but also rounded on Pogba’s first-half performance.
“His great weakness is that he plays like he’s playing in the park with his mates,” Neville said. “It’s like everything he does is like a YouTube or Instagram video. It’s like it’s not serious, it’s like a joke to him in terms of the way he goes about things.
“It’s no wonder Jose Mourinho has left him out for the past few weeks a number of times.
“I’ve never seen a Jose Mourinho team as inefficient as this.
“He won’t recognise, I don’t recognise this as a performance. They are just individuals.
“They play in moments, they are not a unit yet. They’ve got to come together quickly because they’ve got to finish the season strongly but, most importantly, how are they going to get to a level that competes next season with Manchester City? They are nowhere near that level.” BAILLY BACK? IT is now three weeks since Eric Bailly enjoyed a cameo comeback at Huddersfield and Mourinho’s refusal to start him since is a perplexing one. United have conceded three goals