After such a good start to life as Manchester United manager, Jose Mourinho has quickly come back down to earth after eight disastrous days at Old Trafford.
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Manchester United playmaker Juan Mata has reflected on the club’s recent defeat to Watford and insisted that his side must react after their poor performances and results of late.
“Theirs was a disjointed display”.
“You see Ashley Young, his mentality, the happiness and confidence he brought to the game is something more players need to have”.
The Belgium midfielder Fellaini, who has been an ever-present for United in the Premier League, told French TV station SFR Sport: “We can say it’s a little crisis because a club like Manchester United cannot lose three games”. We get the draw [equaliser] and after that we were the team. We know the midfielders arrive like the first goal from behind so there is another individual mistake.
“I can split these defeats into three factors – one, the referee’s crucial mistakes are not in my control, there is nothing I can do about that”.
“I just think in possession Man United were really, really poor”.
“For the first 10 minutes, they would have announced themselves, and tried to break up the little triangles City were forming, and I didn’t see that in Jose’s team in the derby”.
Watching that game again and there were so many problems.
The four-time African Player of the Year is yet to feature in any of Guardiola’s Premier League match-day squads this season, and has played in only one game under the new City boss so far.
“At 1-1 everyone thinks we will win, we were in complete control and showing great creativity”.
It was the first time United had lost to Watford in 30 years and the first occasion Mourinho had been beaten in three consecutive matches since 2002 when he was in charge at Porto.
But Atkinson – who led United two FA Cup successes in 1983 and 1985 – does not believe an us-against-the-world approach will work for Mourinho.
“Their second goal is a mistake against our training and our intention was to not let their wing backs press and we gave him the space to do so”.
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Mourinho was unable to confirm if French winger Anthony Martial suffered a concussion in a first half collision with Watford’s Daryl Janmaat.
