Jose goes from Special One to Beaten One
YESTERDAY’S 3-1 loss at Watford was United’s third in eight days and sent statisticians scrambling to find out when the “Special One” had last been such a Beaten One.
The answer was 2006. While Mourinho did lose three consecutive games last year with Chelsea, one of those was after a shoot-out in the League Cup.
After yesterday’s defeat Mourinho was philosophical, suggesting that luck would eventually shine on his team, but he will struggle to deflect criticism that United lack the discipline and order usually associated with his teams.
The uncertainty over Wayne Rooney epitomises his problems. The striker started off playing a more withdrawn role against Watford, apparently to allow Paul Pogba to forge further forward.
But England’s top scorer seldom looked comfortable, mistiming passes and tackles on a frustrating afternoon. After the break he pushed further forward as United chased the equaliser and, when Marcus Rashford delivered it, appeared to have stumbled on a formation that worked until Watford proved otherwise.
Critics suggest that when Mourinho finds his best team it will probably not include both Rooney and Pogba, who like to occupy the same areas.
Although the $116 million (R1.64 billion) Frenchman hit the crossbar with one fizzing first-half shot, he was largely outshone in midfield by his compatriot, Etienne Capoue, who joined Watford in the summer for $108 million less that United lavished on the former Juventus star.
Once again United were undone by individual mistakes, failing to track the build-up that led to Juan Zuniga’s goal and then giving away a soft penalty late on.
“The second goal was an individual mistake,” said Mourinho. “We know we have to press and not allow them one in the box. We know the midfielders arrive like the first goal from behind, so there is another individual mistake. I cannot control, I cannot improve the referee and linesman and I cannot be critic. Luck – she will arrive.”
One problem for Mourinho is that across Manchester his great rival Pep Guardiola appears not to need any, having just notched up an eighth successive win in all competitions for City, who are playing with a freedom that reminds many of Barcelona.
Already City have beaten United at Old Trafford and now sit six points ahead of them in the league. Mourinho is not used to having such an embarrassing spotlight shone on his abilities, and will require an immediate response when United travel to lowly Northampton in the League Cup on Wednesday.
In last night’s late match, Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane pounced on a comical piece of defending to break Sunderland’s resistance and secure a deserved 1-0 win that lifted the London side to third in the Premier League standings.
The one sour note for unbeaten Spurs was a late ankle injury for Kane, who was wheeled off on a stretcher having scored the winner in the 59th minute after Papy Djilobodji completely missed the ball as he tried to clear.
Only an inspired performance by Sunderland keeper Jordan Pickford kept the hosts at bay as Tottenham managed 19 first-half goal attempts, including one from Son Heung-min that hit the post.
In the second half, Son hit the side netting and rolled another effort across the goal before Kane struck, pouncing on a Dele Alli knockdown after Djilobodji’s mistake.
Sunderland finished with 10 men after Adnan Januzaj was sent off for a foot-up challenge on Ben Davies, having already been booked.
Crystal Palace beat struggling Stoke City 4-1 yesterday with defenders James Tomkins and Scott Dann both scoring from set pieces in a threeminute first-half spell.
James McArthur and Andros Townsend also scored for the Londoners before Marko Arnautovic grabbed a consolation goal for the Premier League’s bottom team in the dying seconds.
Tomkins opened the scoring in the ninth minute when he stole in behind Jonathan Walters to toe-poke home Townsend’s free kick, and three minutes later Dann made it 2-0 as he headed Jason Puncheon’s corner into the back of the net.
McArthur fired the third in the second half, and Townsend completed the rout by curling a bouncing shot home three minutes later.
Arnautovic netted Stoke’s third league goal of the season just before the final whistle, but Mark Hughes’ side have now lost four consecutive Premier League games and conceded four goals on three occasions.
Charlie Austin scored his third goal in four days to deliver Southampton’s first Premier League win of the season under manager Claude Puel.
After four league games without a victory, the Saints were seeking to avoid their worst start to a season since 2000-01, and got the break on 63 minutes when Austin chested down a deflected cross and fired an unstoppable shot into the top-right corner.
The win moved Southampton up to 14th place, one ahead of Swansea. – Reuters