In stifling his charges creativity United’s manager denied them the chance to exploit Southampton’s fragile confidence in a draw which lost his team more ground on the top fourWhen a club has built their romantic reputation on a history of swashbuckling attacking football, it must hurt when the only creative spark can be found in a scowling manager’s woe-is-me press conferences. Yet should any of Manchester United’s players feel inclined to answer José Mourinho’s latest criticism of them, perhaps the best place to start would be with how they are drowning in their manager’s negativity.True to form, Mourinho had his digs ready to go after another stuttering display against lowly Southampton resulted in United losing more ground on the top four. The problem, he explained, is that he does not have enough “mad dogs”. He defended his system, pointed the finger at the lack of strong characters within it and went on to accuse unnamed members of his midfield of failing to realise that “simplicity is genius”. In terms of the never-ending information war, it was a masterclass in self-preservation. Related: José Mourinho: ‘We don’t have many mad dogs. We don’t have that spirit’ Continue readingreadfullarticle
