Fresh from losing 2-1 at home to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, United started their Europa League campaign with a whimper.
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The confidence that came from winning their first three games of the season has likely now largely disappeared among players and fans, and Mourinho admitted there is not a quick fix, per McDonnell.
“I wasn’t saying we were a phenomenal team and we’re going to destroy every opponent”. I know the situation is not click your fingers and everybody is flawless.
Replays show the Denmark global was beyond Marcos Rojo has he ran in behind to cross for Vilhena, to leave Mourinho fuming with the officials.
Another similarity in the Group A opener was Mourinho’s belief that the defeat was undeserved, albeit their performance was not brilliant for the duration.
“If you win matches, people are happy, you lose matches and people are sad and feel it”.
“Obviously when you lose matches then the mood and feeling is not the same”.
“We wanted to give ourselves a good start to the group but unfortunately we didn’t play up to our usual standards”.
Arindam is ESPN FC’s Manchester United correspondent. I tried to not let him play a lot and it was good.
Mourinho made eight changes to his starting XI in Rotterdam, providing much-needed playing time for some of his squad members who have featured sparingly so far this season. “It’s something I don’t like”.
“I think what was important when he first went in there, the decision to get rid of two or three really important characters from Man City – (Joe) Hart, (Yaya) Toure – he made the decision, “you’re not for me”.
Pogba, signed for a world-record fee of $116 million last month, was given more attacking license than in previous matches by being played alongside Ander Herrera and Morgan Schniederlin in midfield, but was a peripheral figure, especially in the first half.
Jesse Lingard and Armenian Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s hopes of a chance to prove themselves, after being unceremoniously substituted at half-time of the Manchester derby last weekend, have been dashed as they too remained behind.
He says he is not willing to put the Europa as his domestic goal as it will disturb their Premier League quest.
Will United beat Watford on Sunday? I am very pragmatic in my approach to matches and competitions, the next match and next competition we play is always the most important.
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“We were trying to push and they were collapsing a little bit because physically they were in trouble and, exactly in that moment, we lose the game”.
