Manchester United Manager Jose Mourinho pointed fingers yesterday in multiple directions after his team’s shocking 3-1 loss to Watford. Mourinho blamed both the officials and individual performances for the upset defeat, and he also expressed his concern about the current state of the team. Obviously, he’s not the only one who is very concerned as United have inexplicably lost three in a row.
Left back Luke Shaw was one of Mourinho’s targets of criticism.
Mourinho said: “The first Man City goal and this second goal against Watford — you can find an incredible similarity, which is [Aleksandar] Kolarov has the ball in a difficult situation in the corner and my players, instead of going up to press they decide to give space.”
“And here for the second goal, [Nordin] Amrabat receives the ball and our left-back is 25 metres from him instead of five metres. But even at 25 metres, you have to jump and go and press, but no, we wait.
“This is a tactical but also a mental attitude. It’s something that doesn’t become perfect in a couple of weeks.
“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.
“But against Man City you know what happened in minute 55 [City goalkeeper Claudio Bravo’s challenge on Wayne Rooney]. You know that happened for the fist goal here and against Feyenoord there was the offside goal.”
“The third thing is what is my hands, which is the improvement of the team and the individuals. Try to stop with the defensive mistakes. I knew that I had a task.
“So we have to improve, no doubt, individually and collectively. And that’s my job. Lady luck you don’t control and referees mistakes you don’t control.”
Luke Shaw became owner of the richest contract for a teenager in British football history when he signed with United. Obviously, expectations are very high for him, so the pressure’s already there. No more pressure needs to be applied, and I don’t see how or why Mourinho’s comments here help the situation at all.
He didn’t call out Luke Shaw specifically by name, but he might as well have, given how he articulated the very specific defensive lapse right down to the individual breakdown. It’s reminiscent of what Mourinho did last season at Chelsea, and that’s alarming.
If Mourinho repeats those habits he had at Stamford Bridge last season, of blaming everybody but himself, again here at United; it will spell disaster for everybody.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes regularly to the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication and Bold Global.
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