Report from the
TelegraphWatford 3 Man Utd 1: Jose Mourinho loses three in a row as Hornets punish slack United
The lustre is already dimming: the sheen of Jose Mourinho’s arrival as manager of Manchester United, the big summer signings and explosion of excitement, the strong start to the campaign with a string of victories.
Those three factors have been replaced by three successive defeats, with three performances of rising poverty, lowering confidence, and, maybe temporarily, the diminishing again of the Mourinho effect. Certainly there is uncertainty.
Mourinho had his own factors, however, for this damaging loss to Watford which otherwise appeared deserved. Three factors. Firstly he blamed referee Michael Oliver – claiming a foul should have been given on Anthony Martial, who seemed concussed and should have already been substituted, in the build-up to Watford’s first goal. Secondly he rued that old intangible, “Lady Luck”, and thirdly – and most emphatically – he did what he has done a little too often, a little too dangerously of late. He pointed the finger at the players.
This time Mourinho questioned their “mental attitude” – a big charge for big players in a big team – singling out his “left-back” (Luke Shaw) but also questioning mistakes by David de Gea, Chris Smalling and Antonio Valencia. He did not mention Wayne Rooney, but this was a desperately poor, alarming performance from the United captain.
“The third thing is what is in my hands – the improvement of the team, the improvement of the individual. Trying to stop defensive mistakes. And I knew I had a task,” Mourinho said. “This is tactical but also a mental attitude. We have to improve – individually, collectively – and that’s my job.”
In fairness, Mourinho gave examples – drawing a parallel between Manchester City’s first goal in last weekend’s Manchester derby and Watford’s second here when there was a loss of urgency, a lack of pressing. He blamed Shaw, while he admitted that the other defenders were culpable in conceding first-half opportunities to Watford that were spurned.
“We started the season very well and had good results,” Mourinho added. “I feel the first moment we had a defeat, a difficult situation, some of the boys are having a bit of difficulty coping with the negativity.”
Maybe so. But he appears to be struggling himself, also, after losing to City and then last Thursday in the Europa League away to Feyenoord – to an offside goal, Mourinho pointed out – and here in a raucous, full-throttle encounter at Vicarage Road. The Hornets buzzed and United were stung.
It means Mourinho’s side are already six points behind Premier League leaders, City, and need to arrest this slide before it develops into a crisis. Most worryingly of all, is that for all the money spent, for all the big names acquired, United are now so heavily reliant on a fearless 18-year-old from the academy. Marcus Rashford – goalscorer again on his first league start under Mourinho – led the way.
The others? Too often they appear to play like individuals. No one can fault Paul Pogba’s effort but he is struggling to fit in and looks a long way short of that world-record £89 million transfer fee, although there was one moment of class when he shifted his feet and shivered the crossbar with a curling 25-yard shot when the contest was still goalless. Zlatan Ibrahimovic was far from clinical with the half-chances – and one golden chance – that fell his way.
Dwelling on United is inevitable but it should not totally eclipse an outstanding performance from Watford and their jack-in-the-box new manager, Walter Mazzarri, who has now put together back-to-back league wins, with seven goals scored, to settle any nerves. Playing like this, they can look towards the top half of the table not a relegation fight.
The outstanding players were in yellow – Étienne Capoue and Sebastian Prodl, in particular – and although United dominated second-half possession and although goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes produced a superb, one-handed flying save to turn away Ibrahimovic’s goal-bound header (at 1-1 Mourinho said this was the key moment) they can point to a host of chances they created as they claimed their first win over United – after 11 successive defeats – in 30 years.
Dwelling on United is inevitable but it should not totally eclipse an outstanding performance from Watford and their jack-in-the-box new manager, Walter Mazzarri, who has now put together back-to-back league wins, with seven goals scored, to settle any nerves. Playing like this, they can look towards the top half of the table not a relegation fight.
The outstanding players were in yellow – Étienne Capoue and Sebastian Prodl, in particular – and although United dominated second-half possession and although goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes produced a superb, one-handed flying save to turn away Ibrahimovic’s goal-bound header (at 1-1 Mourinho said this was the key moment) they can point to a host of chances they created as they claimed their first win over United – after 11 successive defeats – in 30 years.For all United’s possession the second-half drifted until suddenly Ibrahimovic and Rashford combined with the former’s cross – aimed at the latter – rebounding off Valon Behrami. It dropped for Rashford and, from such close-range, the result was inevitable.
Once level would United go on? There was wave after wave of attack but little threat. Mazzarri made his changes; United made the mistakes and the result was settled when substitute Nordin Amrabat slid the ball through to the impressive Roberto Pereyra, who picked out Camilo Zúñiga, another replacement. He slammed the ball beyond De Gea. It was the Colombian’s first touch – he had only been on the pitch 53 seconds.
Deep into injury-time the third substitute, Isaac Success, was tripped by Ashley Young and Deeney stepped up to hammer his penalty kick high past the diving De Gea to prompt the home celebrations for Watford and the away recriminations for a forlorn United.
And a piss-take in the
TelegraphHow did Watford beat Manchester United, and why have Jose Mourinho's team suddenly hit the skids?
Mourinho’s medical woes continue
A year on from Eva Carneiro, Jose Mourinho was initially undermined by another medical issue. After half an hour at Vicarage Road, after a scramble on the fringes of the Watford area, Anthony Martial lay prone on the turf as if he had just walked into the right hand of Gennady Golovkin.
After lengthy examination by United’s medical staff, he was allowed to continue. Never mind concussion protocol, however, surely tactical sense suggested he should have been replaced? Because minutes later, he was caught dozing on the ball on the edge of his own area by Miguel Britos. As he fell to the ground, appearing to strike his head again, the ball ran clear to Daryl Janmaat whose cross was converted by Etienne Capoue for Watford’s goal.
Appearing dazed, Martial was then helped from the pitch past an unimpressed Jose Mourinho who some might question subscribes to the widespread crowd assumption that most injury is faked.
Big is not better
After his failure to bully the neighbours in the Manchester derby, Mourinho fielded an even more physically imposing team against Watford.
In order to counteract the strength of Troy Deeney and Odion Igahlo, he replaced the moderately scaled Daley Blind with Chris Smalling. Oddly, having drafted in yet more height, Marouane Fellaini was deputed to mark Deeney. Which meant if he won the ball, it landed in a central midfield area depleted of United representation. Indeed, size did not help United here.
Watford’s Sebastian Prodl claimed everything in his own box, in the middle of the pitch Capoue reigned untroubled, while Deeney, who still appeared to be carrying the after-effects of a long summer round his waist, out-scrapped United’s back line. Shambolic and tottering, crumbling and fading, what United cried out for was guile, not scale, intelligence not inches.
Mourinho is in urgent need of another ten Rashfords
Once again the only serious point of illumination in the Manchester United landscape was the performance of Marcus Rashford.
The teenager was stationed on the left wing in the attempt to graft some pace to United’s pedestrian attacking processes. As United started as if they had taken a lengthy detour via Amsterdam on their way back from Europa League duty against Feyenoord, however, the ball rarely seemed to arrive at his feet. But when it did, he spread alarm in the yellow shirted backline.
When he drifted in behind the yellow-shirted defence to meet Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s deft flick on, there was never any doubt he would score. He is genuine trouble for an opposition defence. Which is not something that can be said for the hapless Wayne Rooney, who was once again about as mobile and effective as an oak wardrobe.
Man of the match
Etienne Capoue: Serenaded by the Watford fans’ rewording of the summer’s Don’t Take Me Home Anthem, the 28 year old Frenchman excelled in midfield.
Paul Pogba and Marouane Fellaini might have offered the most substantial of obstacles, but Capoue managed constantly to outwit and out pace them. And, more alarmingly, out-muscle them. He scored a corker of an opening goal, struck with fizz and power past David De Gea from the penalty spot. Even his substitution with ten minutes to go was significant. His replacement Camilo Zuniga struck a peach of a goal with his first touch.