Faltering United in firing line as Ferguson makes return

Up the steps into the directors’ box, and Sir Alex Ferguson arrived to a warm round of applause like a muchloved grandfather appearing at his family birthday party, although this particular family – as he knows only too well – seems to get ever more dysfunctional with each year that passes.

This was Ferguson’s first game back at Old Trafford since his brain haemorrhage five months ago and while he looks a little frailer his presence is something that every Manchester United supporter hangs on to as they feel his era fading into history. There were so many afternoons when he would zip up the black overcoat, march down the touchline and oversee the demolition of a traumatised Premier League mediocrity with a certainty that no longer exists at United.

In the modern Premier League that Ferguson left more than five years ago, that is rarely the case any longer, and when the old Scot’s latest successor, Jose Mourinho, cast a regretful gaze back over this draw he observed that Wolverhampton Wanderers had played “like it was a World Cup final”. He was complimenting them for battling for every ball and straining every sinew, but actually Wolves are a much more accomplished side than just a bunch of triers seizing the day.

They came to play fluent attacking football and Joao Moutinho’s equaliser was no less than they deserved as a club who benefit from the expertise of Jorge Mendes, the super-agent whose rise to power coincided with that of his most famous managerial client, Mourinho. There is no question that the rank and file of the Premier League are of a better standard now, but Mourinho’s team should have enough superstars to make the difference.

Not, it should be said, this time. Alexis Sanchez was dreadful, and substituted after the hour. Romelu Lukaku was either offside or too uncertain of his touch to contribute a goal. Paul Pogba’s performance was one that suggested he was determined to be involved in everything, the good and the bad, and indeed he was. His pass to Fred for United’s goal was his team’s most perceptive moment and yet it was Pogba who gave up possession in midfield for Ruben Neves to start the move that ended in Wolves’ equaliser.

“The attitude made the difference,” Mourinho said. “They [Wolves] were in the game from the first minute, they played every ball every second at the maximum of their intensity and desire, and we didn’t. We started poorly. We started both halves at a low intensity and it’s difficult to win matches when you are not there.

“It is a basic law of football, you have to play at the maximum of your potential, unless you are playing in such a weak league against such weak opponents where playing at 30 per cent of your potential is enough.”

The run of three wins, all away from home, came to an end at an Old Trafford that once again was troubled by the performance of its team.

Mourinho said that he preferred the way his side played last time they were at home, the 3-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, because at least then he could detect a will to try to take the initiative in the game. It is obvious what is wrong, the failure to dominate teams and overwhelm them, but much harder to see how it might be put right.

Post-Spurs, Mourinho was ferocious in the defence of his own reputation.

This time he just seemed defeated by the volatility of his side’s form. “I can’t explain the difference in attitude because I never have a difference of attitude,” he said. “We won two matches away and we come home with a good spirit. We come home in peace because we recover and then you start in a poor way and I could say ‘tired’. Champions League, awful pitch [in Berne], the body suffers a different impact than natural grass, not coming home after the match.” But he was reluctant to issue any excuses, with a team that he pointed out featured Jesse Lingard, Alexis Sanchez and Antonio Valencia, all of whom had not played against Young Boys the previous Wednesday.

Neither Marouane Fellaini nor Fred had started that match either and so Mourinho struggled for an explanation as to why his side had been so jaded.

This is a different Wolves now, with “those two Portuguese boys”, as Mourinho referred to the excellent Moutinho and Neves, capable of retaining possession and taking the pressure off. It was Neves’ pass to Helder Costa that created the opening for the goal and nothing Luke Shaw tried could stop Costa getting the ball across where Raul Jimenez laid it off to Moutinho. At the end Nuno Espirito Santo sent on Adama Traore, his winger who runs so quickly that you feel he may be in the car park before he makes his mind up whether to pass or shoot.

Traore forced a fine late save out of David De Gea and it was not the only one he had to make, stopping a header from Willy Boly in 17 minutes. United were never really in control, even a minute later when Pogba played a clever little ball into Fred’s path and he swept a shot past Rui Patricio.

Fred and Pogba never got on top of Wolves’ two midfield generals. “These two Portuguese boys, they are both the kind of player that likes to bite and press over short distances,” Mourinho said. “They don’t give time for you to have the ball, to turn [take] one touch and [then] two touches so we conceded in a situation that is even harder to accept. But that is one goal that we conceded and we have 90 minutes to show a different attitude and we have to do that.”

The gap to the top of the Premier League looks daunting for United already. They will fall to sixth behind Arsenal if Unai Emery’s team win against Everton and the gap to the leaders is already significant. Liverpool’s start to the season has earned them 18 points, eight more than United and only really Manchester City and Chelsea are staying with the leaders.

United face Derby County on Tuesday in the Carabao Cup at Old Trafford and then they have to win against West Ham in London next Saturday to make sure they are within sight of Liverpool.

Ferguson is back in his seat at least, well aware that no one has come close to replacing him. “It’s fantastic news for everyone,” Mourinho said. “Not just for the Manchester United family, for everybody.”