Mourinho can’t stop his rants

As United ease into last four, manager has yet another pop at his players

IF Manchester United’s players thought that their manager had been unnecessarily frank on Friday, when he dismissed their displays in recent years, then they clearly weren’t aware that it was merely the first instalment.

Last night they were treated to a sequel, shortly after qualifying for the FA Cup semi-final.

That progression seemed to be the lone positive to glean from another uninspiring display. Clearly the result meant this wasn’t anything like as damaging as the Champions League exit to Seville and Manchester United still have a trophy to chase.

But Jose Mourinho didn’t seem to read it that way. He was excoriating in his analysis. Luke Shaw was a player you imagined was already heading for the exit here but that much was confirmed last night.

Others weren’t named but Juan Mata and Anthony Martial will rest uneasier after Mourinho accused some of lacking the personality to play for United, especially highlighting his forward players.

Some, he said, were ‘scared to play.’ He even claimed he felt they would rather be substituted than take responsibility. ‘“Please, mister, take me from the pitch!” I felt that,’ said Mourinho.

‘To be on the pitch and touch the ball every five minutes, anyone can do it. To be on the pitch and say: “Give me the ball because I want to play.” That’s a little more difficult.

‘I can’t say much more. It is a relation with personality, to trust, to class. When the sun is shining and everything goes well, you win games, you score goals, everything goes your way, every player is good and wants to play and wants the ball and looks amazing and is confident.

‘When it is dark and cold and in football that means a period of bad results or a bad result like we had a few days ago, not everybody has the confidence and personality to play.’

Mourinho’s gripe was that he has set the team up to play aggressively, had ordered his full-backs to play high up the pitch and expected creative movement from his strikers. None of this happened, but Shaw, withdrawn at half-time, seemed more culpable than most.

‘We worked on a certain kind of movements and it was important the full-backs were aggressive and always in front to create space for Nemanja Matic,’ said Mourinho. ‘I didn’t have that with Luke or Antonio Valenica. I didn’t change both at half time as it was too aggressive … I decided Luke, because Antonio was at least capable defensively. Every time they went in Luke’s corridor, the cross was coming in.’

There is a risk, of course, which Mourinho conceded, of antagonising his players. He’s not currently in the mood to care. ‘My calculation is that without pressure, they don’t perform well. What can I lose?’

It seems that, after 20 months, a time of reckoning is coming.

Exempted from criticism were Matic — ‘an island of personality’ — and Scott McTominay who, despite having his ‘worst game’ demonstrated he was a true United player by maintaining his work-rate and position. ‘He has the personality to wear the red shirt, he was not afraid to play.’ Presumably Romelu Lukaku, with an excellent goal, was spared too as well as Eric Bailly and Sergio Romero.

Lost in all of this is the fact that United carry on to Wembley.

Mourinho is a man who has measured out his life in trophies. Little else usually matters.

But the passivity of performances seems now to irk Moruinho. In truth, no one seemed ready to embrace this tie. The smattering of empty seats at Old Trafford, indicated that the option of home comforts on an Artic night were seemingly more desirable than watching United.

Brighton showed commitment in the ranks of their fans, a full allocation taken despite the inhospitable conditions, inconsiderate scheduling and 520-mile round trip. Yet five changes to the team and no Glenn Murray until the 76th minute was a nod to Premier League realities.

The swirling snow had the same