UK Edition
Man Utd midfielders need to step up their game, says manager Jose Mourinho
Jose Mourinho has warned Manchester United could run into trouble this season unless his midfielders and wingers sharpen up their act in front of goal.
And the United manager has insisted his remarkable record of winning the domestic title in the second season at all his previous clubs offers no guarantees that trend will continue this term, despite his optimism at his team’s prospects of delivering the Premier League trophy.
United were overly reliant last term on Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who scored 17 league goals and 28 all told before a cruciate knee ligament cut short his season in April and whom Mourinho confirmed on Friday the club were in talks about re-signing for the second half of the new campaign.
Romelu Lukaku will be tasked with spearheading United’s attack in Ibrahimovic’s absence following his £75 million move from Everton and Mourinho believes it is imperative other players, including the defenders, chip in with more goals than the managed last time around to ease some of the pressure.
United’s second top scorer in the league last season was Juan Mata with six while Marcus Rashford, Paul Pogba and the now departed Wayne Rooney each managed just five. Anthony Martial and Henrikh Mkhitaryan claimed four apiece and Jesse Lingard scored once in the league.
“What I had in other clubs was more players scoring goals, what we had was midfielders, wingers scoring, central defenders scoring goals at set pieces,” Mourinho said. “We always had more goals with wingers, midfielders getting ten goals, central defenders getting five goals and last season that didn’t happen much. We were focused on the striker scoring goals and when it didn’t happen we were in trouble.
“The challenge is to win more matches than we did, by scoring more or conceding less I don’t know. We lost only one league match at home and in the cups never lost [at home], but there were too many draws.
“We had lots of dominancy at home, lots of chances, lots [of times] when the match should be two or three nil and in the end was 1-1. But to have better positions in the table we need to win more.
“It’s not because I have always done it [won the title in my second season at other clubs] that I am going to do it [with United]. There’s no relation between others or a guarantee because I always do.
“But I just think naturally a manger in the second season knows the club and players better. Not the league because I have been in it a long time, we are just in position to do quality work better than in the first season. It’s not just hope, it’s being convinced that the quality of the team will be better. I have conditions to deliver a better one than the first. If that means results and title then …”
United face competition from AC Milan to re-sign Ibrahimovic but Mourinho believes the 35-year has unfinished business in the Premier League.
“He is injured and he needs time to recover,’ said Mourinho. “He is not ready to play tomorrow. It’s not something that’s urgent, it’s not desperate to have it done or not.
“It was very clear by showing what he did last year was not enough for him. He wants more football at the highest level so we are having conversations and discussing the possibility of him staying for the second part of the season.”