https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/30/MUFC_2017-03-09.jpg
Source: Wikimedia
Jose Mourinho has struck out at the Manchester United team following their shock defeat against Huddersfield Town. The manager predicted that his team may make critical errors and warned players of a potential “slip up” before the game. His thoughts quickly became reality on Saturday.
Manchester United have had an excellent start to their season. Before playing Huddersfield, they were unbeaten over the course of eight games and were looking like serious contenders for the title. On October 21, the Reds were beaten by Huddersfield for the first time in 65 years. It was a stunning result that shocked fans, and not the sort of fixture that should cause champions any trouble. They are now five points behind leaders Manchester City, and since the game, their outright odds of winning the league have fallen to 11/1 on BetStars.
It was only five minutes into the game and it already looked all but over with Manchester United conceding two goals in the opening of the first half. Juan Mata gave the ball away in midfield with Aaron Mooy scoring a rebound after setting up Tom Ince for the shot. Moments later, defender Victor Lindelof made a critical error that left Laurent Depoitre free to run on the loose ball and put a second away.
Then in the second half, substitute Marcus Rashford gave Man U a glimmer of hope as he headed home a goal with 12 minutes remaining. Despite this, and despite Manchester United holding a pretty one-sided 80% of the possession by the end of the game, in the end, Huddersfield had taken advantage of their mistakes to claim the victory.
Jose Mourinho was already concerned about the match before it happened, due in part to poor performances on the training ground the week before, as well as an unconvincing victory over Benfica the week before.
During a press conference on Friday, the day before the match, Mourinho talked highly of David Wagner’s side, perhaps in an attempt to rally his team to take the match seriously. He also warned of the potential for his team to make mistakes and even went so far as to say, “We are going to lose matches”.
He is said to have blown his lid after the game, losing his temper in a way that he has perhaps not yet done with the club so far. He also slammed his coat on the floor before giving his team a talking to. Anthony Martial and Ander Herrera allegedly had to deal with the harshest words with the only player to spare his wrath being Lindelof. The new recruit made big mistakes during the match but needs his confidence boosted rather than torn down. Mourinho likely targeted senior players.
The Portuguese manager then hit out at his team publicly, saying that he would be “really disappointed” if he had watched the game as a traditional fan. He was also most disappointed with the attitude of the players.
“When I lose matches, I like to lose because the opponent was better and had more quality. But when you lose because of attitude, that is really bad,” said Mourinho.
Manchester United play Swansea in the Carabao Cup next with their next Premiership game at home against Tottenham on Saturday, October 28. They will be looking to come back into their winning streak following the shocking defeat. Fans, of course, are hoping for the best.
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