These might be early days, but the signs are good for the Old Trafford faithful.
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Which player will enjoy the better season: Zlatan Ibrahimovic or Paul Pogba?
Yet, Mourinho isn’t totally happy.
This was a tough test for Jose Mourinho’s men, Bournemouth will have given them great confidence but Southampton provided a more challenging game highlighted by their dominant possession (53% to 47%).
Manchester United’s Paul Pogba, upper centre right, heads athe ball at goal, during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Southampton at Old Trafford Stadium, Manchester, England, Friday, Aug. 19, 2016. “We’ve come away from the idea of having two in midfield and letting them do everything – one sit and one go forward and vice-versa – and I think he can do that for United. We need to get used to winning because the mental part is also important, not only the physical part”.
“When the market opened everybody was saying he was leaving, everybody was writing he was not the player for me, he was on the move, maybe a simple phone call the day after my presentation changed a lot”.
“I see him very calm”, Mourinho said.
Pogba played the whole game although not fully match fit and could have scored in injury time when he sprinted the length of the field following a counter-attack and shot just wide.
“I am happy for the team”. For me you don’t leave for sure.
“I just play football, I’m happy to play football”. He is playing well, with Carrick, with Herrera, with Paul. They are arriving step-by-step and I think it’s impossible to demand more from the boys.
One of those “good players” is also Pogba.
The Frenchman beat his marker in the air to get on the end of Juan Mata’s corner, but he could only head the ball over when he should at least have hit the target.
Mourinho’s last 12 months have been topsy-turvy, going into the last season as Ethe PL champions with Chelsea before getting sacked in December, but the Portuguese said he was upbeat about his new job. “So confident. Considering his training and that it was his first match of the season, he played phenomenal”.
United did not have to get out of second gear as they recorded a 2-0 win, their first in three attempts at home against Southampton.
“I would say midfielder on the left [is my best position]”.
“‘Play!’ No no. We have to build a certain organisation around him, but he has to play free, but for a player to play with the freedom, we have to build a certain organisation around him”. For a player to play with the freedom he has.
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“The first 20 minutes we started very slowly”.
