Manchester United’s style of play under Jose Mourinho has been labelled ‘slow’ and lacking the fluidity of Man City and Tottenham following their shock 2-1 defeat to Huddersfield.
The Red Devils saw their unbeaten start to the season come to a juddering halt against the newly-promoted side at the John Smith’s Stadium on Saturday.
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The Terriers were 2-0 ahead after two quick-fire first half goals and while Marcus Rashford pulled one back it proved to be nothing more than a consolation for the Red Devils.
Tom Ince revealed Huddersfield’s game plan for dealing with Mourinho’s side.
‘When you look at United, they’re obviously a top quality side but they don’t really play with the same fluidity as your Spurs or your Man Citys,’ said the Huddersfield forward.
‘They build up the game quite slow, they like to get it out wide and we felt that if we could win the ball back and try to exploit the space in behind – the space the full-backs leave because they go so high – then we were able to do that.’
Ince added that Huddersfield also needed to display the right attitude and mentality as well as the correct tactics.
‘Listen, the manager knows that toe-to-toe we can’t deal with Manchester United.
‘They have got superior players who are world-class, elite players. But all we can do is give the attitude and have the right mentality and desire to try and work for each other.
‘We know that if we can cover the yards on the pitch and make it difficult for teams, make it ugly when they come here, then it gives us half a chance.
‘We managed to do that, everyone to a man, and we have to continue that now.’
Manchester United 2017/18 Fixtures
Swansea – EFL Cup (A) – Tue 24 Oct
Tottenham (H) – Sat 28 Oct
Benfica – Champions League (H) – Tue 31 Oct
Chelsea (A) – Sun 5 Nov
Newcastle United (H) – Sat 18 Nov
Basel – Champions League (A) – Wed 22 Nov
Brighton (H) – Sat 25 Nov
Watford (A) – Tue 28 Nov
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The win for Huddersfield was their first against Manchester United since 1952. Understandably, it meant much to all those involved with the club.
‘It’s a shock to the system for them [Manchester United] because obviously they’ve come here expecting to win,’ said Ince, who is the son of former United midfielder Paul Ince. ‘But we’re happy with the three points and a great day for the town.’
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