ePaper_2nd Edition_October 19, 2016

DT
26
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016
Sport
Old boys accept Mourinho tactics
• Reuters
Former Manchester United players
have queued up to pass judgment
on their old team under Jose Mourinho,
whose negative game plan in
a disappointing 0-0 draw at Liverpool
on Monday sparked a lively
debate over the club’s direction.
While Gary Neville predicted
that United would not win the
league this season, Ryan Giggs
said he would accept the manner
of Monday’s performance in which
they had just 35 per cent possession,
the lowest in any of their
games since statistics were first
collected in 2003.
Although, bizarrely, Mourinho
disputed that figure - insisting
United had in fact enjoyed 42
per cent possession at Anfield - he
also said it reflected his masterplan
to control the game.
Mourinho may find it harder
to explain away another new low,
however, because United’s tally of
14 points from eight games represents
the Portuguese coach’s worst
start to a campaign in 15 years.
That total is also two points
worse than United managed under
Louis van Gaal at the same stage
last year and is probably not what
the club had in mind when they
spent £145 million on his recommendations
in the summer.
Another former United player,
Ray Wilkins, said the pressure of
expectation on Mourinho is relentless.
“He has to keep winning while
changing the side,” Wilkins told
Sky Sports. “It is not always easy
when you are trying to establish
yourself at a huge club. But he will
Manchester United’s Spanish goalkeeper David De Gea saves from Liverpool’s Brazilian starlet Philippe Coutinho during their
Premier League match at Anfield on Monday night
REUTERS
be delighted by that point.”
Mourinho has not been helped
by the limited impact made by record
signing Paul Pogba, who had
another quiet game at Anfield, and
Henrikh Mikhitaryan, who once
again did not make the team as
Mourinho opted for the strength
and solidity of Marouane Fellaini.
Apart from one half against
Leicester City, in which he scored
his only goal for United, Pogba has
struggled to justify his world-record
fee, and Mourinho still seems
unsure how to employ him.
On Monday it was another United
midfielder, Ander Herrera, who
won man of the match for a killjoy
performance that saw him prevent
a far more talented player, Liverpool’s
Philippe Coutinho, from exerting
more of an influence.
That says much about how
far United have fallen since the derring-do
days of Alex Ferguson, whose
attacking intent often led to late United
winners in high-profile games.
For now, United’s old guard in
the media are sticking with the current
manager as he seeks to shape
his new team. “There is no reason
not to trust Jose Mourinho as
a Manchester Unitedfan,” said Gary
Neville. If he said we won’t win the
title this season, but next, which I
think is what he said at Chelsea, I
think most United fans would accept
that... as long as he does win it
next season.”
But judgments are increasingly
instant in football and, for United,
the big games keep coming. On
Thursday they play Fenerbahce in
the Europa League at Old Trafford,
followed by a difficult Premier
League trip to Mourinho’s former
side, Chelsea, on Sunday. “He will
get a rapturous round of applause,”
said Wilkins, in reference to the
Chelsea supporters. United’s fans
might be a little more subdued.•
Jose hails Utd for
silencing Anfield
• AFP, Liverpool
Manchester United manager Jose
Mourinho praised his team for subduing
Anfield after they held inform
Liverpool to a dour 0-0 draw
in the Premier League on Monday.
“We controlled the game, not
just tactically, but the emotion
of the game,” Mourinho told Sky
Sports.
“That was probably the quietest
Anfield I had and I was expecting it
to be the other way. I think was a
positive performance.
“The reaction from their crowd
was permanent disappointment.
People expected us to come here
and be really in trouble, which we
were not.”
He added: “If you analyse the
game, you see the reason why we
did it, playing (Ashley) Young and
(Marouane) Fellaini.
“We had control of the game.
There were two amazing saves by
David de Gea, it’s true, but they
were out of context.”•
EPL STANDINGS
Team
GP W D L GD PTS
Man City 8 6 1 1 11 19
Arsenal 8 6 1 1 10 19
Tottenham 8 5 3 0 9 18
Liverpool 8 5 2 1 8 17
Chelsea 8 5 1 2 6 16
Everton 8 4 3 1 6 15
Man United 8 4 2 2 5 14
Southampton 8 3 3 2 3 12
Crystal Palace 8 3 2 3 2 11
Watford 8 3 2 3 0 11
Misbah, Holder hail
competitive D/N Test
• AFP, Dubai
Rival captains Misbah-ul-Haq and
Jason Holder praised the fight till
last attitude in the first day-night
Test played with Pakistan upstaging
West Indies by 56 runs in the
final hour on Monday.
Misbah said the match was good
for Test cricket.
“It was a good Test and good for
the Test cricket with everything in
it,” said Misbah after the victory.
“You need Test matches like that
and credit to West Indies to put
such a fight.”
Pakistan had amassed 579-3 declared
in their first innings courtesy
an epic 302 not out by opener
Azhar Ali.
West Indies conceded a 222-run
first innings lead but hit back hard
by dismissing Pakistan for a paltry
123 in their second knock, thanks
to a career best 8-49 by leg-spinner
Devendra Bishoo.
“West Indies batsmen showed
good resilience and credit must be
given to them,” said Misbah of the
rival team who batted for 109 overs
on a last day Dubai stadium pitch.
This was the longest batting by
a West Indies team in the fourth innings
of a Test since their 105.1 over
innings against India in Kolkata in
1978.
Misbah admitted he was nervous
and worried, with just 100
needed and Bravo at the crease. •
BRIEF SCORE
PAKISTAN 579/3d (Azhar 302*, Sami
90, Babar 69) & 123 (Sami 44, Babar 21,
Bishoo 8/49) beat WEST INDIES 357
(Bravo 87, Samuels 87, Yasir 5/121) &
289 (Bravo 116, Holder 40*, Amir 3/63)
by 56 runs
Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq jumps after the successful run out of West Indies batsman Miguel Cummins as Yasir Shah
celebrates on the final day of their first day-night Test at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Monday
AFP