Man United lost the derby, but Jose Mourinho right to say stats didn't reflect performance

Aditya Devavrat 21:59 12/11/2018
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  • Mourinho's counter-revolutionary streak came to the fore again.

    Jose Mourinho, Proper Football Man™. Is anyone surprised?

    The Manchester United manager has forged a successful career as his era’s premier counter-revolutionary, so with football’s stats revolution underway, it’s no surprise that he declared himself to be in the opposite camp following Sunday’s 3-1 loss to Manchester City.

    “So, when I analyse the game – you can go for stats, that’s the way people who don’t understand football analyse, with stats – I don’t go for stats. I go for what I felt, for what I saw in the game,” he said.

    The stats that Mourinho was objecting to were ones that showed his side had been poor in the Manchester derby. City had 65 per cent possession and 17 shots – five on target – to United’s six. In contrast, United’s only shot on target was Anthony Martial’s coolly taken penalty.

    Yet Mourinho may have a point in his analysis of the game, calling United’s performance not bad but one “with mistakes”. City’s three goals came after Ander Herrera, assigned to man-mark David Silva, lost the playmaker in the United penalty area; David De Gea was beaten at the near post, among the rarer sights in football; and Nemanja Matic completely failed to pick up Ilkay Gundogan 10 yards out.

    It’s fair to say that the defensive perfection required for Mourinho’s typical style to work always leaves his sides vulnerable to individual errors ruining the masterplan. But does that mean he’s wrong in believing his side played well?

    FBL-ENG-PR-MAN CITY-MAN UTD

    As he rightly pointed out, United went into the game in differing circumstances to their hosts.

    “One team [City] started the season strong and are still strong, another team [United] didn’t start well and is improving a lot,” Mourinho said.

    “If you focus on the game, it was open for 80 minutes. I think no-one left the stadium before the third goal because the match was open.

    “In a week City played three matches at home, we played three away. They had 6-0 wins, no pressure, relaxed.

    “Our second game [against Juventus] was like a final for us, against one of the best teams in Europe, demanding everything we had to give from physical and mental perspective.

    “I consider the performance to be one with mistakes, it’s different to a bad performance. We were punished, but the performance, mentality, togetherness, belief, fighting until the end, is something we are building. We won’t lose that because of a defeat.”

    It’s hard to argue with any of what he said. And this is where statistics can fail to tell the full story.

    United are indeed a work in progress. Though what that says about Mourinho – having been manager for more than two seasons and coming off the back of a second-place league finish that should have been the launchpad for a more sustained challenge to City rather than a campaign where they’ve seemingly been surpassed by everyone else in the league’s big six – is up for debate.

    The statistics for such a side will never measure up against their neighbours from the blue half of the city, who are well-settled under Pep Guardiola. City haven’t had to deal with the sort of turmoil Mourinho faced earlier this season, when it seemed like United’s players were in open rebellion against their manager.

    That, at least, has apparently been overcome. The Red Devils have looked much better since last month’s comeback win over Newcastle.

    United have been playing with more purpose over the past month.

    United have been playing with more purpose over the past month.

    Mourinho is entitled to believe in the improvement he feels he’s seen from his squad. Statistics can be as useful a tool for managers as they are for experts and journalists. But a man with two decades of experience in football should be trusted to make accurate judgments based on what he feels.

    Imagine the reaction of Sir Alex Ferguson if he’d been fed expected goals stats? The legendary United boss was never one to shun any tool that could have helped his sides improve, but it is likely he would have trusted his own judgment over anything the stats would have told him.

    That’s the same Ferguson who once masterminded a 1-0 Champions League semi-final win over Barcelona in which his side had 27 per cent possession in the first leg and 38 per cent in the second.

    Mourinho’s own career is littered with similar examples of defying the statistics. His side may have been beaten on Sunday, but for once, a Proper Football Man™ might be right.

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