Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United reign is quickly unravelling, with his new team condemned to a third successive loss by Watford this morning.
Watford’s 3-1 victory exposed the brittleness of Mourinho’s expensively assembled team as it tasted success over the record 20-time English champions for the first time in 30 years.
The United job was a chance for Mourinho to rehabilitate his career after being fired last year for a second time by Chelsea. But after a bright start to the campaign in August, Mourinho’s United has lost to Manchester City, the Europa League opener at Feyenoord and now Watford within nine days.
Although 18-year-old Marcus Rashford marked his first start of the season for Mourinho by canceling out Etienne Capoue’s opener, Watford surged back in front in the 83rd minute at Vicarage Road. Substitute Camilo Zuniga scored within a minute of coming off the bench and Troy Deeney netted a penalty in the fifth minute of stoppage time.
It’s only five games into the Premier League season but United is already six points behind leader Manchester City. While United’s neighbor has made a perfect start, Mourinho is discovering just how challenging it will be to restore the team to the Champions League by finishing in the top four.
“I feel that some individuals probably feel the pressure and responsibility too much,” said Mourinho, who succeeded Louis van Gaal in May to become United’s third manager in the three years since Alex Ferguson’s retirement. “But from a collective point of view, I only have good things to say about them.”
United’s abject state was clear early in the game. Only Odion Ighalo’s miss spared United from an early setback. David de Gea dropped a high catch as both the United goalkeeper and defender Chris Smalling went for the ball. Ighalo was presented with an open goal but rather than control the ball, he missed the target with De Gea watching in astonishment.
The closest United came to the Watford goal before conceding was Zlatan Ibrahimovic hitting the sidenetting and Paul Pogba, the world’s most expensive player, hitting the crossbar with a dipping shot. Captain Wayne Rooney, in a deeper midfield role, made little impact.