“I know we play midday on Sunday and in this moment it’s 9pm on Thursday, but we are professionals, let’s not make an excuse for Sunday because we have to play this game”.
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Mourinho made eight changes from the side which lost the Manchester derby on Saturday, but the former Chelsea boss did not want to discuss individual performances or comment on whether those players given their chance had passed it up in the defeat.
Manchester United will kick off at Watford and you can bet that Jose Mourinho’s side will be looking to get their momentum turned around.
So how did the Manchester United team fare?
“The second half was when they increased intensity and that was when they conceded the goal”.
“When we won the Community Shield and the three Premier League matches, I was not on the moon”, the Portuguese coach said when asked about the scale of the challenge ahead following the last two losses. I think we kept our plan no matter which player played. “They play with the same boys week after week, same team for every competition against some guys playing their first minutes”. I know the situation is not click your fingers and everybody is flawless.
“But I think as much as they didn’t create too many chances, I think on our part we didn’t create enough chances either to really go and win that game”.
United manager Jose Mourinho attempted to breathe life into his listless team with a triple substitution in the 63rd, bringing on Ibrahimovic, Memphis Depay, and Ashley Young for Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, and Juan Mata, but the changes failed to galvanize them. “I think on Sunday character … needs to shine through because it’s unacceptable to lose three games in a row”.
“We need to start the game sharp”, the left-back, who missed the match in the Netherlands as a precaution due to a tight hamstring, said.
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United pushed late on for an equaliser but they found it impossible to break down some brilliant defending from the hosts who were more than deserving of their win as they showed more determination on the night for the win.
