VALENCIA • It was not a Wednesday evening that Jose Mourinho, Phil Jones or Paul Pogba will remember fondly.
Manchester United had the chance to win their Champions League group, but they failed.
Pogba had the opportunity to prove his worth to Mourinho, but he failed. The less said about Jones, the better.
The Red Devils had qualified for the round of 16 before they set foot in Spain but, with Juventus falling to a surprise 2-1 defeat away to Young Boys, victory in Valencia would have been enough for United to seal top spot in Group H.
But they were beaten 2-1, a result owing to their miserable performance and a dispirited Mourinho said after the match that "nothing surprised" him.
"I didn't learn anything at all," the United manager said of his players, after he fielded a line-up that included eight changes and a return for Pogba, who delivered a sluggish display at the Mestalla.
"Nothing surprised me at all... I expect more from my players, especially players that week in, week out, they (the media) ask why they don't play, why they don't start. It was a good match to play, without any kind of pressure, in a competition everyone likes to play in.
"And, in the end, my team improved (only) when I made changes I didn't want to make, which is frustrating because I didn't want to play the three players that I played in the second half.
"Before the game, I told the players, if we win tonight and Juventus win, we did our job; if we don't win and Juventus doesn't win, we can blame ourselves."
Marcus Rashford, who scored United's goal, Jesse Lingard and Ashley Young were all introduced in the second half.
Finishing first in the group would have earned them a relatively easier tie against one of Atletico Madrid, Roma, Schalke, Ajax and Lyon when the last-16 draw takes place on Monday. They would also avoid the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.
Despite his disappointment, Mourinho insisted that qualification was what really mattered.
"I think to qualify in this group is a success, never a failure. To finish second in this group is always a success," the Portuguese added.
"Apart from a couple of clubs that are clearly much better than the others, I don't think the (last-16) draw will be significantly different."
Â
1 - Phil Jones is the first Manchester United player to score an own goal in the Champions League since Phil Jones in November 2011 against Benfica.
3 - Manchester United progressed to the knockout stages with three wins in the group for the first time since 2008-09, when they won two. That season, they lost in the final to Barcelona.
Jones scored an own goal just after the break to double Valencia's lead after Carlos Soler had put the home side ahead in the 17th minute.
Rashford gave United hope with an 87th-minute header but it proved too little, too late.
Mourinho explained that injuries forced him to make eight changes to the team that beat Fulham on Saturday. Only David de Gea and Nemanja Matic were rested.
BEWILDERED
I didn't learn anything at all... I expect more from my players, especially players that week in, week out, they (media) ask why they don't play.
'' JOSE MOURINHO, who was left unimpressed by his players.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS, THE TIMES, LONDON
UEFA Champions League: Liverpool's Dejan Lovren unlikely to face Bayern Munich, says Jurgen Klopp Dejan Lovren is still recovering from a hamstring injury sustained against Wolverhampton Wanderers last month and the Croatia defender did not travel with the rest of the squad to the club's warm-weather training camp in Marbella this week.
Champions League: Liverpool's Lovren unlikely to face Bayern
Google Keep. Jamboard. Подборки.
May 21, 2019 · Destination: Football - Expedia Group Football Travel Trends Study Reveals Two Thirds of Travellers Plan Holidays Around Sporting Events PR Newswire LONDON, May 21, 2019 - A huge 68 percent of
Expedia Group Study Reveals 9 in 10 Indian Football Fans Plan
Pochettino loses his cool as Spurs slump, Huddersfield closer to relegation while Huddersfield were pushed closer to relegation by their 2-0 loss at Newcastle on Saturday. bottom of the
Pochettino loses his cool as Spurs slump, Huddersfield closer
Football: Despite squad overhaul, Albirex Niigata's target for new season is still to 'win all the titles'
Latest ALBIREX NIIGATA | The Straits Times
AC Milan face long European ban after UEFA opens second financial fair play case or receive a one-year ban from European club football, lost almost €12.77m in broadcasting revenue and prize
AC Milan could miss Europa League over alleged Financial Fair
Di Maria and Mbappe among the goals as PSG win big again - Vanguard With Neymar and Edinson Cavani still absent, Layvin Kurzawa also scored for PSG at the Parc
Di Maria and Mbappe among the goals as PSG win big again
(Reuters) - Aston Villa beat Midlands rivals West Bromwich Albion 4-3 on penalties to reach the Championship playoff final on Tuesday after the tie ended 2-2 on aggregate. Tammy Abraham, on loan from Chelsea, scored the decisive spot kick to send Villa into a Wembley final against either Derby
Villa into playoff final after shootout win over West Brom
Saswa eyes SPL title glory. Dec 12, 2018, 5:00 am. Subscribe to The Straits Times. call 6388-3838 or click here. Available for iPhones and iPads. Available in Google Play. Back to the top. Singapore;
Home's Saswa is first casualty of SPL season
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is relaxed about Mohamed Salah's goalscoring drought, saying the Egyptian forward remains a key part of the title chasers' attacking armoury.
Klopp relaxed about Salah's Liverpool drought - FootyNews.co.uk
Wolves beat Bournemouth in their best top-flight run for 38 years. Reuters. Wolves' previous top-flight campaign in 2011-12 ended with just 25 points and relegation. Football's most
Wolves beat Bournemouth in their best top-flight run for 38 years
Call of Duty Mobile; ESL India Premiership Many fans and pundits were clamouring for Valverde to get the axe after Barcelona's embarrassing Champions League semi-final exit at the hands of
PARIS, June 7 (Reuters) - France got off to a perfect start in the women's World Cup as the hosts beat South Korea 4-0 in the opening game at the Parc des Princes on Friday. Eugenie Le Sommer and
Football: France make light work of South Korea in World Cup
Man Utd latest financial results: 6 things you might have missed as Ed Woodward faced investors. The share price is rising, the App remains No.1 and "entertainment centres" in China are very much
Mourinho´s huge pay-off fails to dent Manchester | Daily
0 comments:
Post a Comment