Mourinho has a moan as United get out of jail
JOSE MOURINHO last night demanded Manchester United release further millions in a bid to compete with Manchester City.
United needed an added-time equaliser from Jesse Lingard to preserve a point in a 2-2 draw against Burnley but still remain 12 points behind the Premier League leaders having now dropped seven points in five Premier League games.
Mourinho later implored vice-chairman Ed Woodward to give him more cash — despite being afforded nearly £300million over 18 months.
‘It is not enough, it is not enough,’ the United manager said of the money spent since he took over. ‘Manchester City buy full-backs for the price of the strikers.’
Mourinho then suggested United’s illustrious history is being used against them and claimed his squad are not equipped to win the league.
‘The price for the big clubs is different from the other clubs,’ he added. ‘The big, historical clubs are normally punished in the market for their history.
‘We are in the second year of trying to rebuild a football team you know is not one of the best teams in the world.
‘When you speak about responsibilities to win the Premier League, Tottenham does not have that responsibility because they are not a club with the same history as us. Arsenal doesn’t have the responsibility to win it, Chelsea doesn’t have the responsibility to win it.’
Mourinho said in August that he felt United were candidates to lift their first title since 2013 this season but dismissed suggestions that two wins in six means they are under-performing. He added: ‘The boys are doing what they can and they are doing fine. You say seven points from 15, I say last two matches we had 15 chances to score and we conceded three **** goals and an amazing free-kick
‘They are trying hard with the problems and injuries we have. I am not happy with the result but I am happy with my players.’
Lingard’s second-half brace cancelled out goals by Ashley Barnes and Steven Defour. Burnley have now picked up results at Old Trafford, Chelsea, Tottenham and Liverpool this season.
Boss Sean Dyche declared: ‘They have only lost once here this season — you have to remind yourself of those facts. Look at the people they brought off the bench. We want to improve on last season and there are clear signs of that.’
Mourinho’s extraordinary comments tellingly, however, revealed his underlying frustration. He did not come to United for afternoons like this.
He didn’t come here to be grubbing around in the dirt, watching his team launch endless long balls into the opposition penalty area in the hope that something may drop on to the toe of a man in a red shirt.
No, he came to Old Trafford to win the Premier League. But that ambition, for the second season running, has long-since been replaced by something else.
Now the aim must be to finish second — no matter how distant — to Manchester City and hope the rest of the season brings enough positive moments to convince his club and indeed himself that things may be better next season.
Here, at a rather frenzied Old Trafford, United were far removed from what they should be. There was no style, no great confidence and no particular pattern of play.
At the start Mourinho had made a rather brave team selection. Fielding Zlatan Ibrahimovic as a No 10 behind Romelu Lukaku was an interesting gamble but it failed.
By the time Ibrahimovic was taken off at the interval United were in trouble and needing players to bring them youth, speed and direction. Ultimately, Lingard did that for them.
Burnley were marvellous in the first half. They scored in the second minute after Marcos Rojo hauled down Jeff Hendrick and Ashley Barnes poked in the ball from six yards line following United’s failure to deal with the free-kick.
Strangely, there seemed an inevitability about that goal but United’s territorial domination that followed was equally pre-destined. For a while Burnley struggled to get out of their half, which turned out to be good practice for the second period.
But United’s chances were rarely clear cut — Paul Pogba going close from a corner and Luke Shaw driving low from 25 yards — and they were struck down again by a Burnley counter five minutes before the interval.
Ashley Young gave away the free-kick from which Defour scored and it was clumsy. Yet the mistakes from Shaw and Rojo that preceded that should not be overlooked. But Defour’s strike — right-footed from 20 yards — was immaculate.
Ibrahimovic and Marcus Rashford came close before half-time but with the Swede subsequently removed, United were brighter.
Substitute Lingard should have scored in the 50th minute — somehow placing the ball in to the face of Burnley goalkeeper Nick Pope from six yards — but then did so three minutes later with a back heel from another Young cross.
Encouraged by their goal, United pressed on as Burnley’s struggle to hang on became more desperate. United still didn’t create much that was clear but they did dominate and added time was always likely to test a tiring Burnley.
So it proved as a chipped free-kick from Juan Mata in minute 91 dropped for Lingard to strike a perfect half-volley past Pope.
So there was no embarrassment for Mourinho only further nagging discomfort. Those who subsequently viewed his post-match comments about money as an exercise in distraction were probably correct.
MANCHESTER UNITED (4-2-3-1): De Gea; Young, Jones, Rojo (Mkhitaryan 45min), Shaw; Pogba, Matic; Mata, Ibrahimovic (Lingard 45), Rashford; Lukaku. Subs not used: Lindelof, Blind, Romero, Herrera, Tuanzebe. Booked: Rojo, Shaw. BURNLEY (4-4-1-1): Pope; Bardsley, Long, Mee, Taylor; Gudmundsson, Defour (Vokes 66), Cork, Arfield; Hendrick; Barnes (Walters 80). Subs not used: Wells, Lowton, Marney, Vokes, Westwood, Lingard. Booked: Barnes, Taylor, Gudmundsson, Bardsley, Pope, Vokes. Man of the match: Jesse Lingard Referee: Martin Atkinson Attendance: 75,046.