Mourinho said on Thursday after the Europa League defeat to Feyenoord that he feared his squad was losing confidence, with the loss in Rotterdam coming after a derby defeat to Manchester City last weekend.
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“It is a new event, it is another match, it starts at minute zero and so I think it has nothing to do with the two previous matches”.
“You can say I changed eight players”. I know the situation is not click your fingers and everybody is flawless.
“We need to start the game sharp”.
“But, to be honest, I think we didn’t play phenomenal matches in these two defeats, but in both I think it is a punishment for the team because we deserved more than the results we got”.
“For them to lose to City after a great second half, those are great matches with incredible players and a high level of football”.
“It should belong to them and that is what I expect from them – that on Sunday we will try to win the match normal”.
Thursday’s game, when United played without him in a 4-3-3 formation, showed that the alternatives are not always more fruitful.
Mourinho would, one supposes, not shed a tear if United failed to make it through the group stage of the Europa League.
In the first half, the Australian had to be alert to keep out a well-struck free-kick by Paul Pogba.
United next play Watford in the league and Mourinho added: “We go back to a normal team without so many changes”.
“I know the situation is not a case of clicking your fingers and everything is flawless”, said the United manager.
United broke the world transfer record to bring Pogba, 23, back to the club from Juventus last month in a deal worth an initial 89 million pounds ($115.7 million, 103.7 million euros).
“I just think in possession Manchester United were really, really poor”.
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“I played with Aston Villa also some games against Manchester United and they are good with the ball”, he said. Whilst Feyenoord had the better first half, they didn’t have the same game plan going into the second, meaning that a winning goal wasn’t expected by the home side.
