It means that United have lost successive games, having also been beaten 2-1 by Manchester City on Saturday. The game represented numerous same faults that occurred against City, especially not being able to start strong from the get-go.
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Arguments have raged about whether he is suited to the No. 10 role and if United would be better off replacing him or changing their formation.
Arindam is ESPN FC’s Manchester United correspondent.
“Of course I’m not happy with the start”.
“To be honest, we didn’t play phenomenal matches in these two defeats but to lose both it’s a punishment for the team because I think we deserved more”.
Some of the players were playing their first minutes of the season, not many minutes for them. “We were much more unsafe, we had our chances to equalise and who knows what could happen if we had equalised” said Mourinho after the game.
“I have a very good relationship with Mourinho”.
“I can’t do anything to improve it and, in the second half, we were much better”.
Speaking about Sunday’s EPL game against Watford, Mourinho said: “First of all I have players that are not here, I have players that didn’t play here for 90 minutes, so it’s not a problem of accumulation”.
Speaking in an interview with United’s website, Mourinho said: “I don’t think it will be easy [to bounce back] but the game will be independent. They had the luck to score in the last part of the game”.
“I think he [Jose Mourinho] took him off after an hour just to save him for Sunday”. In the second half the situation was different, we brought different intensity to try to win and they defend with everything; a great crowd, a great spirit.
“Look I don’t want to personalise. They have to be fit, they are, and they have to be mentally strong”.
Manchester United are back in Premier League action on Sunday against Watford.
“When you lose matches, there are no miracles in terms of the players’ soul”, said Mourinho.
“In that position it is your duty to get the team to play football, you go and get the ball, you pass it forward, you link the team together”.
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The Spaniard hasn’t started a Premier League game since the opening weekend against Bournemouth, but was given a chance in the Europa League on Thursday. He hinted he would revert back to normal squad for the Premier League clash against Watford on 18 September.
