Man Utd playing football from 30 years ago, says Sky Sports pundit Souness
Sunday 19 August 2018 20:54, UK
Jose Mourinho is in a "precarious position" at Manchester United following his team's 3-2 defeat at Brighton on Sunday, according to Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness.
Goals from Glenn Murray and Shane Duffy put Brighton two up inside 27 minutes and while Romelu Lukaku pulled a goal back, another defensive error allowed Pascal Gross to restore the home side's two-goal advantage before the break.
Paul Pogba's stoppage-time penalty was no consolation for Mourinho and while the United boss refused to criticise individuals in his post-match interview with Sky Sports, the fear for Souness is that the damage to key relationships at the club has already been done.
"He is in a very difficult place, isn't he? We think he fell out with the Chelsea players and that ultimately cost him his job," Souness told Sky Sports.
"As a manager, you have to push them and push them to the point where you are almost falling out with them but you cannot cross that line otherwise you end up falling out with two or three of the top men and they can get you out of the door.
"Two or three becomes six or seven and six or seven becomes 12 or 13. Then all of a sudden, that old chestnut is leaked to the press that he has lost the dressing room. So I think he is in a very precarious position right now if that is what they can give us on a football pitch."
This was the first time that United have conceded three first-half goals in a Premier League game under Mourinho and his team are now already three points adrift of rivals Manchester City despite a comfortable-looking first two fixtures to kick off their campaign.
Souness believes that the team's style of play is a concern. "There is nothing wrong with being direct but this is Manchester United, arguably the biggest club in the world, playing football that was played by teams from a lower league 30 or 40 years ago," he added.
"It's lump it forward, play off the bits and see where we go from that. Manchester United have to be better than that. This is a club that needs to be dining at the top table and with this group of players that isn't going to happen any time soon."
