Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness has made the bold claim that the Manchester United team do not like playing under their manager Jose Mourinho.
He has pointed the finger at Mourinho, claiming that his bad mood is having an effect on the players, and as a result, they are not enjoying their football so far this season – which means they are not performing on the pitch.
The Red Devils failed to secure any points on the board last weekend after a shock 3-2 defeat at the hands of Brighton at the Amex, but they now go into Monday’s home clash with Tottenham Hotspur hoping to get the win.
“I’ve been in a dug-out opposite him but I don’t really know him. He looks unhappy in his job. The manager sets the tone at the football club,” he told the Sun.
“Every day he turns up for work it’s all about the mood he’s setting. Right now, the players are not enjoying that environment. I was at their game at Brighton on Sunday and they looked a very, very ordinary squad.
“You take each part of their team — forget De Gea, he is a top goalkeeper — their defence looks shaky, their midfield has no real creativity and up front, there is no energy.”
OPINION
This is a bold claim made by Souness, but he is not far from the truth. Mourinho has not been in the greatest of moods recently, and that is clearly translated on the field with their displays. We know that United are capable of so much more than they have already shown, but Mourinho is preventing them from doing that. It seems like that he is not bothered anymore, but that may perhaps be down to the fact that he is not as good as he used to be. His team are far behind on quality compared to their rivals, and we may have come to a point where he has now realised that. Mourinho’s side are certainly not capable of challenging for any honours this season, and it looks like Souness has hit the nail on the head with his damning verdict. Mourinho needs to change his attitude – or United will be in for a long season ahead.