There has been a lot of criticism of Manchester United’s use of “specialists.” The criticism is particularly scathing when it comes to Romelu Lukaku. The player has not scored in six matches, and Mourinho believes that the criticisms to be unfair. He also refused to comment on the game, despite the victory, saying:
“It’s better for the specialists to comment on the game than for me to give my opinion,” he told BT Sport. “I am paid to work and do my best, which I do every day. The specialists are paid to comment on my work, so let them comment.”
Mourinho confirmed in his interview that it was his decision for Blind to take the penalty.
“The reason is Martial was the player to take, he took, he missed, he wasn’t on the pitch,” Mourinho explained. “The players were happy to take responsibility, Romelu, and Herrera as well, but this was my decision.
Manchester United are now on the cusp of a top 16 place in the Champions League. There are two matches left, one against Basel, and the other against CSKA Moscow. Despite four victories so far, United still needs one point from either of the games to make the final 16. Fans and Mourinho are surprised that despite winning four out of four, they still need one more point.
He went on to say that he hopes that the fans will enjoy this win more than the 1-0 defeat of Tottenham the past Saturday.