JOSE LETS RIP
He accuses his stars of lacking the will to win
JOSE MOURINHO accused his Manchester Unit e d stars of pl aying at only 30 per cent capability as they flopped at Old Trafford in front of the returning Sir Alex Ferguson.
Mourinho didn’t pull any punches as United’s three-match winning run came to an end with a lucky 1-1 draw against Wolves.
‘One team came as if their lives depended on it and one team was too relaxed,’ said the United boss. ‘It’s difficult t o win matches when you’re not there. This is something you learn when you’re a kid in the academy.
‘Playing at 30 per cent of your potential is not enough.
‘We were not sharp enough, creative enough or intense enough defensively.
‘ It was a mental thing. I can’t explain
WELCOME BACK:
Sir Alex Ferguson was given a great reception the difference in attitude.’ Mourinho didn’t blame individuals, but Paul Pogba lost the ball in the build-up to the Wolves equaliser from Joao Moutinho. ‘The players knew that Wolves press. You don’t have much time to have the ball, so to concede in a situation like that is hard to accept,’ he added. One piece of good news was the return of United’s 76-year-old former manager Ferguson for the first time since suffering a brain haemorrhage in May. He said: ‘It’s really good (to be back). ‘ It has been a long journey but I’m doing what my son and the doctors tell me.’
SIR ALEX FERGUSON turned up at Old Trafford looking fit and happy as he was warmly welcomed back into the fold. Judging by what he saw from the directors’ box, it will take longer to restore Manchester United’s good health.
Jose Mourinho’s side met Wolves having won three in a row on the road and apparently back in the groove after losing 3-0 to Spurs in their previous home game.
But their malaise runs deeper than that. Every step forward is followed by a step back and yesterday was a significant one.
Wolves, who were in the Championship six months ago, not only deserved their second-half equaliser through Joao Moutinho, they should have won it late on when substitute Adama Traore ran havoc and spurned three opportunities.
Jose Mourinho couldn’t hide the disappointment for his players, particularly after they had gone ahead with Fred’s first goal for the club. Mourinho’s career has been built on consistency — United are anything but.
‘I can’t explain the difference in attitude because I never have a difference in attitude,’ he said.
‘One team came to play the game of their lives and the other one was too relaxed. We had won three games away so we came with a good spirit but in this league you can not play with 30 per cent of your potential. It is not enough.’
‘ It is difficult to win matches when you are not there. This is something you learn when you are a kid in the academy.
‘We had a poor start, were lucky to score the goal before them. And then we started the second half again at a low intensity and then we concede a goal.’
Two players Mourinho has publicly supported this season, Paul Pogba a nd Luke Shaw, were cul-pable for the equaliser after 51 minutes. Pogba gave the ball away in midfield as Wolves pressed and Helder Costa proceeded to beat Luke Shaw easily before delivering a cross that ended with Moutinho shooting home.
‘Not sharp enough. We weren’t intense enough. It is a mental thing,’ said Mourinho, although he refused to blame any individuals by name for what he saw as a poor team performance.
His fellow Portuguese coach Nuno Espirito Santo — Mourinho’s goal keeper at Porto—was serenaded afterwards by the travelling fans who chanted: ‘Nuno is the Special One.’
‘I’m proud of the way we played,’ he said. ‘We played our way even after they had scored first.’
Sir Alex, 76, beamed as he was introduced to the Old Trafford crowd on his first visit to the stadium since suffering a brain haemorrhage in May.
Maybe the emotion got to United’s players. They started sluggishly and relied on David de Gea to make two brilliant saves from Raul Jimenez and Willy Boly.
United barely had a kick for the first 18 minutes yet took the lead.
Wolves defender Conor Coady couldn’t get enough distance on his clearance from an Alexis Sanchez cross and Pogba showed great awareness to tee up Fred on the edge of the box with his first touch.
The £47million Brazilian, starting in place of the suspended Nemanja Matic, buried the chance in the corner with a clever, low finish and then danced with Pogba to celebrate.
Had Rui Patricio not tipped away Fred’s free-kick on the stroke of half time, United might have gone on to victory.
Instead, they slipped back into lethargy and Wolves were rewarded for their enterprise with an equaliser soon after the break.
Pogba was caught out by a midfield press and from there Costa tricked his way past Shaw before delivering a low cross that Jimenez cleverly played back to Moutinho.
From the edge of the box, the 32year-old Portuguese international gave De Gea no chance. Mourinho responded by sending on Juan Mata, Anthony Martial and Andreas Pereira., while Marouane Fellaini was pushed forward to make a nuisance of himself in the air.
Fellaini had a header blocked at close range by Patricio, who also tipped over from Jesse Lingard.
But a late United winner would have been rough justice. Indeed, it was Wolves sub Traore who almost scored in Fergie-time at the end with a shot kicked away by De Gea.
He then fired over after a dazzling run had taken him through the heart of the United defence.
United’s players can expect Mourinho’s version of the hairdryer this week. Five of United’s next seven games are at home, starting with Derby County in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday.
‘It’s a bit of a contradiction but I am more disappointed than against Tottenham when we lost,’ said Mourinho.
‘In that match, I liked the performance. Here we had a better result because one point is better than zero. But I did not like my team.’
Pogba will know one Mourinho comment might have been aimed at him. ‘The players knew the two Portuguese boys Moutinho and Ruben Neves like to show desire, to press. So when you concede in that situation, it’s harder to accept.’
It would be fascinating to know what Ferguson thought of it all.