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Jose Mourinho: Man Utd manager blames forwards for Anderlecht draw

Last updated on .From the section Footballcomments251

Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Zlatan Ibrahimovic could not add to his 28 goals so far this season

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho blamed his side's "sloppy" attackers after Anderlecht grabbed a late equaliser in the teams' Europa League quarter-final first leg.

United led 1-0 in Belgium until the 86th minute, when the hosts equalised with their first effort on target.

"If I was a Manchester United defender, I would be very upset with the attacking players," Mourinho said.

"They did the serious work. The people who had to kill the game didn't."

Henrikh Mkhitaryan tapped in for United in the 36th minute, but it was the only successful effort of their 16 shots at goal.

The visitors' attack lags well behind the rest of their top-four rivals in the Premier League, having scored only 46 goals. Chelsea, Tottenham, Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal have all managed more than 60.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is the team's top-scorer with 28 goals in all competitions, with Mkhitaryan and Juan Mata the only others in double figures.

"It is the same problem," added Mourinho. "We had control, we had chances, but we do not score enough goals.

"In my poor English, I cannot find a better word than sloppy. You have to play more seriously.

"Put the performance of two or three of our attacking players together and you squeeze not much juice out of it. Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Anthony Martial - they were very similar."

How the newspapers saw it

Daily Mirror
The Daily Mirror described Leander Dendoncker's goal as a "last-gasp suckerpunch"
Times
The Times back page features Paul Pogba, who missed a good second-half chance for United
Daily Express back page
Pogba is also the splash on the back of the Daily Express

Your reaction - by text on 81111

Phil, Cardiff: Last half an hour the whole United attack just walking around with no desire to break with pace and kill the game off. The fact that they seem to be happy with a 1-0 at Anderlecht says how far United have fallen. And they paid the price with poor finishing as usual this season.

Darragh, Belfast: Same old United this season we go one up and take the foot off the pedal, never look like we're gonna blow a team away! Not great for confidence with Chelsea on Sunday.

Chris Perez: You can spend as much money on a squad as possible but without time they will play as separate pieces of the jigsaw. Jose will make United great again.

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251 comments

  • Comment posted by bourbon, at 09:25 14 Apr 2017

    The increasing public criticism of his players isn't looking good for Mourinho

  • Comment posted by morebalanceplease, at 09:12 14 Apr 2017

    Mourinho used to infect his teams with enthusiasm and optimism, now he just seems to suck the life blood out of them. Old Trafford must be a seriously miserable place to be right now. Would be amazed if Zlatan chooses to stay.

  • Comment posted by Fergies Dons of 83, at 09:17 14 Apr 2017

    Typical JM, blame everyone but himself when they fail, but grab all plaudits when win.Disgusted when he got the job, with big help from media.All SAF, and Charlton's fears being realised, picks on young players, no development of youth, huge money spent, and massively disruptive presence at the club, will implode, and be on his way within the year.Good riddance.

  • Comment posted by User0192983237, at 09:07 14 Apr 2017

    Seriously if Man U hadn't signed Jose's pet pitbull Ibra where would they be now? I hate Sutton, the joyless nark, but he is bang on here!

  • Comment posted by db, at 09:20 14 Apr 2017

    Typical Mourinho excuses . BLAH BLAH BLAH . Your a mediocre manager with a mediocre team . You cant manage players . Just look at Chelsea last year and now this year , same team apart from 1 player , and a new manager who has shown the players a bit of respect , not gone to the press and moaned about there lack of performance . Politics , yeah go get a job in politics you would be good at that !!

  • Comment posted by Largewomble, at 09:17 14 Apr 2017

    Such a negative man, his teams reflect his behaviour and hanging people out to dry publicly is shameful, worst Man Utd team since big Ron

  • Comment posted by Rich-D, at 09:43 14 Apr 2017

    As a Liverpool fan I have obvious feelings towards United. As a football fan I have obvious feelings towards Mourinho, but this time he's right! Too many sub standard players who move around at walking pace thinking the job is done. I stand by my opinion that Jose isn't a great fit for United, but at the moment the amount of underperforming/not good enough players outweighs the Jose problem

  • Comment posted by Doyoun, at 09:20 14 Apr 2017

    It's never your fault, it's never your faaaaaauuuuullllllttttt.....

  • Comment posted by Arthur D, at 09:45 14 Apr 2017

    Yeah he blames the forwards but he's blaming the wrong one's, Ibrahimovic is the problem, slow, poor control, zero work rate and misses a host of chances. Jose has allowed this man to halt the progress of both Rashford and Martial, united need to let him go in the summer and add one quality mobile striker to what we already have.

  • Comment posted by mickyt, at 10:01 14 Apr 2017

    Its not all about having money or having the best highly paid players. Its about desire as Leicester showed last year. Man utd players have to start showing the same desire as Leicester did last season. it appeared to me that the players are not giving everything. You can have the best players in the world but unless they play as a team instead of 11 individuals these performances will continue.

  • Comment posted by User0649149287, at 09:25 14 Apr 2017

    Sorry, ManU....I had grave reservations from the start about JM and those are now being realised. Tactically and in terms of man-management, JM has lost it. He has had time and money and still they labour to get any kind of consistency. Sure, they are up there in the League but had some of the draws been wins, they would be fighting for top dog. Time for a ManU man at the helm.

  • Comment posted by XTStevie1872, at 09:23 14 Apr 2017

    Decent first half when the tie could have been done & dusted but typical Utd second half when they were found out & the tie is nowhere near over as Anderlecht will score at OT ?

    Typical Jose as well with excuse after excuse.....

  • Comment posted by McB, at 10:25 14 Apr 2017

    I don't think Mourinho was ever as great a manager as his reputation would suggest but in his early days he was able to inspire and fire players up. He doesn't have that any more. His whole demeanour has changed from entertaining, charismatic leader to that of a negative moaner.
    (having said that, most managers love a good moan - it must be in the 21st century manager's handbook!)

  • Comment posted by Micky Hazards Gstring, at 09:18 14 Apr 2017

    Deflecting attention away from his own inadequacy as usual.

    This is a manager who is a shadow of his former self, cheap mind games we've all seen before, but now cannot cope with the subtle shift in football.

    I bet he wishes he was Conte.

    He needs a change of career.

  • Comment posted by Nabokov, at 10:10 14 Apr 2017

    Mourinho insists on antagonising his players. I hope they revolt soon and he crashes out of Manchester United as he dis from Chelsea. What an unpleasant, bitter, petulant human being he is.

  • Comment posted by User0239985643, at 11:03 14 Apr 2017

    No wonder Chelsea has gone from strength to strength since ditching the average one.

  • Comment posted by Average Joe, at 11:09 14 Apr 2017

    If they win it's Jose....

    If they lose it's the players....

  • Comment posted by User0573598530, at 11:17 14 Apr 2017

    The main task of a manager is to motivate players. Can't understand the approach of publicly criticizing them all the time. In the end they hold grudges, stop playing and the manager gets sacked.

  • Comment posted by D Jones, at 09:17 14 Apr 2017

    Doesn't your heart just bleed (with laughter) at the demise of Mourinho.

  • Comment posted by D1679228335962, at 10:13 14 Apr 2017

    Breaking news! United sign Scottish wonder kid, Drawie McDrawface.