Manchester United manager, Jose Mourinho, has criticized his players after they lost 2-1 to Fenerbahce in their Europa League game on Thursday.
Moussa Sow and Jermaine Lens scored for the Turkish club, before Wayne Rooney pulled one back late in the match.
Mourinho admits his team deserved to lose, as they were not mentally prepared.
“They deserved to win. Football is not just about quality, it’s about effort, commitment, playing the limits, giving everything. they deserved it,” he told BT Sport.
“A team that concedes a goal after two mins is a team that’s not ready, a team that’s not mentally prepared, not focused, not concentrating.
Mourinho also pointed out Sow’s early goal, as the turning point of the match, as it gave the hosts impetus.
“In an atmosphere like this, to concede a goal, and give the advantage to an opponent, then the opponent are where they want to be. then they can defend, they can counter attack, they stop the game, they simulate free-kicks, they put pressure on the referee, they waste time with injuries,” he added.
“It’s their game and it’s our fault we let them be in that situation. After their second goal we showed reaction. Probably we could have taken a different result but we didn’t deserve more.”
“Our problems started in our attitude, where they were playing the Champions League final and we were playing a summer friendly – that is the reality of the way the game started.”
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