After three defeats in a week, Jose Mourinho becomes agitated.
Manchester United lost 3-1 at Watford on Sunday in the Premier League and following the game Mourinho hit out at his players and said they must deal with the pressure of a bad run better.
He also singled out one United player in particular for criticism: Luke Shaw.
On Watford’s go-ahead goal in the 82nd minute, Mourinho questioned the positioning of Shaw, 21, as Nordin Amrabat played the ball in-behind United’s defense and Roberto Pereyra crossed for Juan Camilo Zuniga to slot home.
Here’s what Mourinho had to say about Shaw.
“And here for the second goal, Amrabat receives the ball and our left-back is 25 meters from him instead of five meters. But even at 25 meters, you have to jump and go and press, but no, we wait,” Mourinho said. “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. You know that happened for the fist goal here and against Feyenoord there was the offside goal. Secondly there is [being] lucky and unlucky. It’s part of the game. 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.”
Mourinho is looking increasingly irritated and the Portuguese coach has now singled out plenty of defenders for criticism following recent defeats.
After the derby defeat to Manchester City at Old Trafford, Mourinho called out his center backs Eric Bailly and Daley Blind for giving the ball away cheaply and now young left back Shaw has been targeted by United’s already under pressure boss.
Shaw is a boyhood Chelsea fan and has previously spoken about idolizing Mourinho. Well, this may knock his fandom down a few pegs and although Mourinho has a point, the fact that both Marouane Fellaini and Paul Pogba failed to track midfield runners which led to the goal but neither were criticized publicly feels like a double standard.
A report in the Times in the UK has since stated that several senior players at United are “shocked” by the criticism of Shaw publicly. It has also been reported that Shaw will have a scan on a groin injury he suffered in the latter stages of the game as he we substituted soon after Watford went 2-1 up.
Surely the Mourinho meltdown which usually occurs after three seasons at each club isn’t happening just three months into his time in charge of United?
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