Jose Mourinho over ‘crisis’ but a long way to go

‘Crisis (noun): A time of intense difficulty or danger – a time when a difficult or important decision must be made.’

Everyone at Old Trafford was well aware of what the word meant, but the big question at this Manchester derby was whose crisis was the biggest?

Juan Mata’s goal helped United feel better about themselves as they reached the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup, condemning rivals City to six matches without a win, and they can enjoy the moment. But the jury is still out on where the victory takes Jose Mourinho’s side and how deep a hole it leaves Pep Guardiola in — not least because the Spaniard fielded so many reserves in a 1-0 defeat in which his team had more possession but no cutting edge.

The last time these teams met, only six weeks ago in the Premier League, both went into the game with 100% starts to the season and with bookies shortening odds on a Manchester one-two in the title race. But, oh, how things change.

In fact, City’s 2-1 victory in that match saw them installed as strong favourites for another championship, but since then they have stuttered alarmingly.

September saw Guardiola’s side win five games and draw one, scoring 18 goals; in October, by contrast, they haven’t won a single game, were well beaten by both Tottenham and Barcelona and have scored just twice.

Not good enough for a club with such high ambitions and which has spent so much money.

And not good enough for former Barcelona and Bayern coach Guardiola who has never before in his career endured a six-match run without a win.

United, however, appeared to be in even more of a hole, at least until the 54th minute. A goalless draw at Anfield, in which they were criticised for negative tactics, a 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Chelsea, a failure to beat Stoke at home, and a 3-1 defeat at Watford amount to a miserable run that has led many to question not just whether they are capable of surviving the title race but whether manager Mourinho’s magic has finally worn off. His grumpy antics at Stamford Bridge, criticising Antonio Conte for daring to whip up the crowd, and his admission in a pre-match interview that living in a hotel in Manchester has been a “disaster”, added to the feeling that something is wrong at Old Trafford.

Nothing, then, revealed more convincingly that United needed this derby more than City, than the team sheet itself; Mourinho, injuries aside, putting out his strongest team while Guardiola racked up nine changes as he fielded the reserves. “

It is the last competition in terms of importance and in two days we played a tough game at Barcelona and then Southampton,” the Spaniard reasoned.

So much has gone wrong for both clubs in the space of 47 days that Guardiola’s decision represented a risk; but it also sent out a message to United that there was only one team in Manchester with desperation in their veins.

Thankfully for Mourinho, his team responded in the way he would hope, producing a highly organised and hard-working display which the home fans enjoyed but which certainly wasn’t enough to persuade critics that the Special One’s side have suddenly clicked.

The first half was attritional and played, of course, in a vibrant atmosphere — but it also highlighted problems for both sides in key positions. For City, Vincent Kompany’s long-awaited return from injury was nothing short of a disaster.

He seemed to have lost the art of even passing a football in the first half and was duly substituted at the break.

For United, Paul Pogba has been switched between deep midfield and number 10 on several occasions this season, giving the impression that Mourinho doesn’t know where best to field him — slightly strange it has to be said for a player who cost €109m.

Here he played higher up the pitch and was unconvincing until hitting the post from an excellent position in the second half.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, too — only one goal in his previous eight games — was having a nightmare until, finally, he helped set up Mata for the all-important opener which lifted the burden on both the team and their manager and formed part of an improved second-half display played mostly on the break.

The good news for United is that they are now home to Burnley on Saturday, an excellent opportunity to build on this win, while City face an awkward trip to West Brom. Should Guardiola’s side lose at the Hawthorns then maybe the crisis will be all theirs, but for now it still hangs in the air right across Manchester, even if floating a little higher.

This was a good start for Mourinho, but there is a long way to go.