‘One trophy not good enough for United’
MANCHESTER United cannot consider their current season to be a successful one even if they win the FA Cup, midfielder Nemanja Matic has said.
United’s 2-0 win over Brighton and Hove Albion in the FA Cup quarter-finals tomorrow kept alive their only realistic chance of winning a trophy this season after their exit from the Champions League last week.
Rivals Manchester City are firm favourites to win the Premier League title this campaign as secondplaced United lie 16 points behind their neighbours with eight matches left to be played.
“You have four competitions in the season — if you win one for me it is not enough, but you always have to do your best,” Matic told British media.
“In the Premier League, when you are in the first four this is not perfect but is good to play for the Champions League next season.
“If you win the FA Cup I cannot say it is a successful season, but it’s a good season.”
Manager Jose Mourinho’s team were also knocked out of the League Cup quarter-finals after a shock defeat by Championship (second tier) side Bristol City.
After the win over Brighton, Mourinho hailed Matic as “an island of personality, desire and control” while criticising others for a lacklustre showing.
“He (Mourinho) is special because he wants to win always. You can see when we lose a game he cannot accept that. Probably that’s why he won more than 20 trophies in his life,” Serbian Matic added.
“It is very difficult to work with him because he always wants more and more. Even if you win the league he wants to win again next season. He is like this and the players need to be ready for that.”
After the conclusion of the international break, United host Swansea City in the league on March 31 before taking on Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley in the FA Cup semifinals next month.
Meanwhile, Mourinho has defended Paul Pogba after the Manchester United star was branded “disrespectful” by Paul Scholes.
United legend Scholes claimed Pogba’s lacklustre display in Sunday’s shock defeat against lowly West Bromwich Albion showed a lack of respect for Mourinho.
Scholes’ criticism came amid growing speculation that Mourinho is ready to sell Pogba following the France midfielder’s inconsistent form over the last two seasons.
But Pogba produced one of his better performances in United’s 2-0 win over Bournemouth on Wednesday as he set up Romelu Lukaku for the second goal at Dean Court.
Asked to comment on Scholes’ criticism of Pogba, Mourinho said: “I don’t agree. I agree that it wasn’t a good performance at all (against West Brom); with that I agree.”
Mourinho made seven changes from the West Brom loss as he axed some of his under-performing players and rested others for Saturday’s FA Cup semifinal against Tottenham.
His decision to keep Pogba in the starting line-up raised questions about the chances of the midfielder retaining his place at Wembley.
But Mourinho, who has dropped Pogba several times this season, offered an enthusiastic review of his man of the match display on the south coast.
“Top performance. Top performance. Obviously the performance against City was special, coming with two goals,” he said.
“But this performance was a very similar level. So top performance. He can do it.”
United’s return to winning ways was not enough to ease Mourinho’s frustrations over Sunday’s woeful loss to West Brom.
That result gifted the title to Manchester City, but Mourinho believes he can catch the champions next season.
“My face is still the face of last Sunday and not the face of somebody who just finished a game and a win,” Mourinho said.
“I still live with the emotions of last Sunday.
“I know how to win titles. In case some of you guys don’t know I won eight championships in four different countries, and three in this country. “I know why you win, I know why you don’t win. “OK, no doubts about City’s quality, and that in any circumstances they would win this title because they are the better (team).