FORGET DRIBBLES AND NUTMEGS IT’S JUST ABOUT WINNING NOW
Mourinho plotting a way to cope without his talisman Pogba
JOSE MOURINHO insists he is ‘not pessimistic’ about his chances in today’s Manchester derby, despite being without record signing Paul Pogba — the one player in his team he considers irreplaceable.
Mourinho has regularly divided United’s season into playing well with Pogba and struggling without the £89million Frenchman. Indeed, they have not lost a Premier League game in which Pogba has played since being defeated at Chelsea 14 months ago.
Now a red card in last weekend’s 3-1 win at Arsenal — in which Pogba expertly set up two goals — means Mourinho will have to find another way to upset Manchester City in the clash at Old Trafford, which is expected to go ahead despite the threat of heavy snow.
You suspect it is a challenge the Special One has relished and worked upon all week. After all, his career is littered with unexpected achievements; Porto and Inter Milan winning the Champions League, Chelsea ending a 50-year wait for a League championship and Real Madrid winning La Liga a season after being beaten 5-0 by Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona.
‘We have lost a very important player, one with an impact in the way we play and that is obvious,’ said Mourinho about his talismanic midfielder.
‘This season, there was a Manchester United with Paul and there was a Manchester United without Paul.
‘He impacts our style. For the next three matches we have to cope without Paul and try to win without him.
‘It’s not pessimistic. It’s just a different way to play football. Do you think I have in my team a midfield player who can make the third goal at Arsenal? We don’t. They have other qualities. Fellaini can score an amazing header. Matic can shoot from outside the box. Herrera can do other good things.
‘But a midfield player to do and create what Pogba did in the third goal against Arsenal, we don’t have.’
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is fit again and Mourinho could even spring a surprise by starting the Swede behind Romelu Lukaku for an hour to give City an aerial battering. ‘Zlatan is ready to play but not for 90 minutes,’ said the United manager.
United are unbeaten in 40 matches at Old Trafford — they were last defeated there in September 2016 when City won 2-1 at the start of the Mourinho and Guardiola reigns.
Mourinho has this week called out City players for falling too easily and last night he added the charge of repetitive tactical fouling — players deliberately conceding quick freekicks to stop opponents counterattacking.
‘It is a strategy they have,’ said Mourinho. ‘They put lots of people in attacking areas. When they lose the ball, they are many times unbalanced in numbers, they have lots of people surrounding the ball area and they have a strong transition in the next few seconds after they lose the ball.
‘Many times, they need what is called a tactical foul and then it is up to the referee to make a decision but I can’t speak about that.’
I have realised now that people judge you straight away, not knowing who you are