Mourinho aiming to stop rot as Utd season unravels
Klopp accepts FA charge over wild derby celebrations
MANCHESTER, United Kingdom, Dec 4, (AFP): Jose Mourinho needs to lift Manchester United’s morale quickly as a deflating run of performances threatens to throw their season off track completely but he faces a daunting task against a revitalized Arsenal.
Mourinho’s team have not looked themselves at Old Trafford for much of the season, with their past two matches producing an insipid goalless draw against Crystal Palace and an unconvincing late Champions League victory over Swiss side Young Boys.
On their travels, they had looked as if they were getting back to form as October turned to November, with the side producing fine displays in drawing at Chelsea and beating Juventus.
Yet perhaps those performances were just papering over the cracks. United recovered from a two-goal deficit to draw at Southampton on Saturday and Romelu Lukaku scored his first club goal since Sept 15 but there was much to be alarmed about.
Mourinho claimed his players, with the exception of Marcus Rashford, were meek, lacking the spirit of what he called “mad dogs”.
According to Duncan Castles, a British journalist with close links to Mourinho’s agent Jorge Mendes, the United manager compared midfielder Paul Pogba to “a virus” after another poor performance at Southampton, saying the France international lacked respect for both his teammates and fans.
United’s dressing room gives little indication of being a happy place ahead of Arsenal’s visit to Old Trafford on Wednesday.
To prove the point, forward Juan Mata effectively declined to publish his regular Monday internet column this week, instead posting a short message that began: “Unfortunately, I feel as though it isn’t the time for posts.” During a season riddled with disappointments, Mourinho has by and large been treated sympathetically by the club’s fanbase, who feel that he was not given enough support in the last close-season transfer market by executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward. The manager’s frustration at not being able to sign a top-class centre-back has been raked over repeatedly but his defensive team selection at Southampton baffled even his most loyal supporters.
With Chris Smalling and Eric Bailly unfit, Mourinho elected to play two midfielders – Scott McTominay and Nemanja Matic – in a three-man central defence against a team that had not won at home all season. It did not work.
Failure to win on the south coast further damaged United’s chances of finishing in the top four – the ticket to Champions League qualification – and Mourinho himself appears to believe that is now a long shot with his team lagging eight points behind fourthplaced Arsenal.
Asked by Brazilian television what his aims were for the remainder of the season, he said: “Try to win as many points as possible and try (to achieve) almost the miracle of finishing fourth.
“Last year, I said that finishing second was a fantastic thing because of the qualities we had in comparison to
Chelsea’s Belgian midfielder Eden Hazard (left), and Spanish defender Cesar Azpilicueta (right), celebrate on the pitch after the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Fulham at Stamford Bridge in London on Dec 2. Chelsea won the game
2-0. (AFP)
the quality of the other teams that are fighting for the top four. And this year, with more problems that we have had, it proves what I said.” Arsenal, like United, spent relatively little in the closeseason, bringing in Bernd Leno, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi for relatively modest sums, yet look revitalized under Unai Emery’s management.
They have gone 19 games unbeaten in all competitions since losing their first two matches of the season, and are playing a thrilling brand of aggressive, high-pressing football.
According to Uruguay midfielder Torreira, the manager’s words are making as much of an impact as his actions – as evidenced by his half-time team talk on Sunday before the Gunners recovered to beat Tottenham 4-2.
“He told us to be calm,” Torreira 1-0 victory.
Klopp raced towards his players and embraced goalkeeper Alisson Becker as the win kept them just two points adrift of Premier League leaders Manchester City.
The Liverpool manager had already admitted after the match his behaviour was “not cool” and at his press conference on Tuesday said he held his hands up to the charge.
“That’s what rules are for. If you break rules you have to pay for it,” he said.
Klopp has received sympathy from the likes of City manager Pep Guardiola and on Tuesday more came from his opposing manager in the derby, Everton’s Marco Silva.
“In that moment I didn’t see what Jurgen did,” said Silva.
“Now I saw and for me it’s not a matter. It’s the emotion of the game, it’s a normal situation. He’s celebrating.
“I don’t know if we had scored in that moment what would be my reaction.
“If you ask me, I think he shouldn’t (have been fined) but the FA has to decide what the rules are.” Highly-regarded midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek is important to Chelsea and will not be leaving in the January transfer window despite the limited starting opportunites he has had this season said Blues manager Maurizio Sarri.
The 22-year-old – who shone for England when he was selected at the World Cup finals – came on and scored for Chelsea in the 2-0 win over Fulham on Sunday.
However, his first team starts this season have largely been in the Europa League and several clubs have been linked with moves for him, with Crystal Palace interested in taking him back on loan as he sparkled for them last term.
Others said to be keen are Bournemouth, who bought another fringe player at Chelsea last year in Dutch international Nathan Ake, West Ham, Newcastle and German outfit Schalke 04.
However, Sarri – whose side play out of form Wolverhampton Wanderers on Wednesday – put a dampener on their hopes on Tuesday.