Friday, November 4, 2016

''MY PLAYERS PLAYED AS IF IT WAS A SUMMER FRIENDLY''... MOURINHO.



Manchester United manager, Jose Mourinho have accused his players of ignoring his advice and 'sleeping' in the first half.

During his post-match assessment, the Special One said; "Our problem started in our global attitude"

Moussa Sow's sublime overhead kick after 65 seconds gave Fenerbahce a lead. Jeremain Lens, on loan from Sunderland, doubled the lead with a superb second-half free-kick.

Wayne Rooney superbly scored what would become a consolation goal on the 89th minute to equal Ruud van Nistelrooy's 38-goal record as United's all-time European top scorer.

Mourinho told BT Sport: "Our problem started in our global attitude. "They (Fenerbahce) were playing the Champions League final and we were playing a summer friendly. ''That is the reality of the way the game started."

The Portuguese added; ''What disappointed me more is that I have quite a big experience of playing against Turkish teams,"

"I played twice with Real Madrid and twice with Chelsea, I played with Porto too, so I pass to the players all my experience.

"And my experience is that when you play against them in our home, it's easy. It's always 2-0, 3-0, 4-0, it's easy.

"You come to Turkey and it is completely different story, so I told them to wait for that, told them not to be focused on the easy game we had at Old Trafford and to be ready for a completely different game,

"We started the game sleeping. I know that we have a problem and especially away from home, it's difficult to play without two proper central defenders.

"Football play starts with goalkeeper, two strong central defenders. We are playing with two left-backs (Daley Blind and Marcos Rojo) as central defenders and poor Blind is even having to play central defender on the right, which is even more complicated.

''So I think at this moment we lack that structure there, but they start 100 miles per hour and we start really slowly.

''They had the kick-off, they go immediately, the referee gives a free-kick. They take the free-kick in a fast way, we are sleeping, we don't react. Then it's a ball in the other side, we lose the second ball.

Then the cross is coming, we don't mark Sow in the box and then the game is a different story.
"Then they are where they want to be. They are in front, then they can control the game, they can defend with a lot of bodies, they can wait for counter-attacks.

''They can simulate a few fouls, put some pressure on the referee, stop the game, win time, provoke some conflicts.

"But it is not their fault, it is our fault that we let them be 1-0 in front.
"Then obviously when you are losing 2-0, the players had a reaction and they tried and probably they could (have equalised).

"But I think we don't deserve because for me football is from the first second and Fenerbahce played an emotional game. Football is an emotional game and they deserve (to win)."

The result sees United drop to third on Group A, while Fenerbahce lead on the standings.
Fenerbahce Boss Dick Advocaat, insists that United were so lucky not to have conceded up to five goals, giving his team's dominance.

"Well, it is always a big difference if you play away or at home,"  Advocaat said.
"Even at Manchester, the first half hour we did really well, then they had two penalties within five minutes.

"We know that they like to move inside with the wingers and it means if we close that defensively they cannot find space in-between.

"Attacking-wise with the players we have up front, that still gives them a lot of problem.
"You need a little bit of luck to come through but we did well defensively.

"When we had the ball, we were not afraid to attack. We scored two goals but could even have scored four or five."

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