RALLYING CALL
Shaw urges teammates to improve following United’s ‘horrendous’ display
MANCHESTER United’s misfiring players need to take responsibility for a “horrendous” display against West Ham that leaves them languishing in 10th place in the Premier League, defender Luke Shaw said.
United’s 3-1 defeat at the London Stadium on Saturday was their third in just seven league games and has left them nine points adrift of leaders Manchester City, as speculation mounts over the future of manager Jose Mourinho.
Left-back Shaw apologised to supporters for United’s “awful” performance and said the players need to take a hard look at themselves.
“If you want the truth I think it was honestly horrendous,” he told reporters. “We didn’t look like a team that was going to beat West Ham. I think individually and as a team we were awful.
“That’s not good enough. It’s hard to take and we’re sorry to the fans for what they saw. It was not good enough from a Man Utd team with all the talent we have.”
United’s reverse, which came after their midweek League Cup exit at the hands of Derby, means they have made their worst start in the league for 29 years.
In addition to the problems on the pitch, Mourinho confirmed last week that Paul Pogba would not captain the side again after he had implicitly criticised the manager by urging the team to attack more.
United’s haul of 10 points from seven games matches their return at this stage of the season under David Moyes in 2013-14 but their inferior goal difference means this is their worst topflight start since they picked up seven points in 1989-90.
Despite the growing pressure on the manager, Shaw believes it is the players who need to shoulder the blame.
“We have to look at ourselves as players,” he said. “We’re the ones who go on the pitch. The manager isn’t on the pitch, is he?
“He’s there to put a team out and put a team out that he thinks can win the game. You look at our team and we had a very strong team. No excuses. As players we weren’t good enough.
“It just wasn’t good enough from us. That shouldn’t be happening. Games like this we should be dominating, creating chances, showing people why we deserve to play for Man Utd and that didn’t happen. It was very poor from us. Very, very poor.”
Meanwhile, as the Red Devils slumped to a third defeat, Alexis Sanchez was nowhere to be seen.
That the Chilean was deemed not good enough to make Jose Mourinho’s 18-man squad for such a shambolic display at the London Stadium speaks volumes for Sanchez’s slide since joining United in January.
United believed they were closing the gap on “noisy neighbours” City when they beat the Premier League champions to the signature of Sanchez just nine months ago.
Prolific in four years at Arsenal and three seasons with Barcelona before then, Sanchez has scored just three times in 23 appearances under Mourinho — none of which have come this season.
Mourinho’s power battle with Paul Pogba has drawn the spotlight from Sanchez. But Mourinho’s patience with the other marquee signing of his time in charge at Old Trafford ran out this week.
Sanchez was hauled off during a 1-1 draw with Wolves last weekend.
He was then reportedly admonished by Mourinho in front of his teammates for his poor form and was the only outfield player who travelled to London for the West Ham debacle left out of the matchday squad.
“Look for how many months are people asking for (Anthony) Martial, Martial, Martial and saying how Alexis isn’t playing well enough,” said Mourinho justifying his decision. “This week it was time to agree and leave Alexis out.”
Sanchez wouldn’t be the first creative player Mourinho has failed to get the best out of. United’s fiercest rivals City and Liverpool have benefited from Mohamed Salah and Kevin De Bruyne being discarded by the Portuguese during his time at Chelsea.
When imploring Mourinho to attack more after being held by Wolves, Pogba defended Sanchez’s struggles to adapt from the more open football played at Barca and Arsenal.
“When you play a long time with another team and you play different football in that other team you have some kind of adaptation that you have to have,” said the Frenchman.
Mourinho’s time at Old Trafford may be running out, particularly if he fails to summon a response when United host Valencia in the Champions League today.
The club’s executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has put his faith in Mourinho, but his trust runs out quickly when missing out on the riches of Champions League.
David Moyes and Louis van Gaal were both dismissed after failing to qualify and United are already five points off the top four.
Another route into the Champions League is by winning the competition.
United currently look far from contenders, but they can take a huge step towards the last 16 by moving six points clear of Valencia in Group H.