Manchester United manager, Jose Mourinho, has slammed people he described as football “Einsteins” for hastily writing him and his Manchester United team off following series of poor results.
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United won their first three Premier League matches under Mourinho, as well as beating Leicester in the Community Shield, but then lost to City and Watford, either side of a Europa League defeat at Dutch club Feyenoord.
With Wayne Rooney, who has played the majority of matches, was not performing again (shock horror) yet still played the full match, not threatening one but, even from five-yards out.
Not only was the ignominy of a fourth straight loss avoided, but the 3-1 win at Sixfields set up a shot at revenge against Guardiola’s City in the fourth round.
“We deserved it”, Mourinho explained. We were very disappointed (to lose to City) because it was in front of our fans and now we have another chance to play against them.
“[On Kompany] Most of the time when you come back after a long period you don’t play for more than an hour so I think he was probably just a bit exhausted and hopefully it will just be a matter of days”.
Sir Alex had no problems getting rid of players when they no longer served a objective on the pitch.
“They tried to cause us problems, which they did at times, so it was a hard match but overall it was a positive performance”. But Rooney backed the Portuguese to turn things round sooner rather than later.
Despite equal scrutiny from supporters, Mourinho said it was a different case with them and that he understood the fans’ feelings.
“A couple of minutes ago I told about the red card because it’s a really risky situation”.
“I know my role, I know what I can give to the team, but as a midfielder when you score of course you are helping more the team. At half-time, if we were winning two or 3-0 like we should and could have been, the game would be over”, Mourinho added.
It was eventually a smooth passage, assisted by Northampton keeper Adam Smith, who endured a nightmare evening and played a big part in two of United’s goals.
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“I don’t like to individualise too much”, Mourinho said when asked about Carrick. I am a team player and I am ready. I think the midfield worked really well and were in control of the game.
