Manchester United could not ride the wave of a 3 – 1 victory from their last outing when faced with the challenge of the Seagulls, Brighton and Hove Albion, who have proven to be a bogey team for them in recent seasons.
They welcomed the Fabian Hürzeler-led team to Old Trafford and were thrashed 3 – 1 in front of their disgruntled fans and a very angry manager, who held back on his true feelings when speaking to the media.
“It was similar to other games,” he began. “We suffer some goals we shouldn’t suffer and then it’s really hard to have possession because we are really anxious. We played some good football but only in small spaces of time.
“So it was not consistent and we get nervous and then suffer a goal again in the beginning. Then it’s really hard to turn things around. We get really anxious and really nervous and they were better. It’s palpable outside the pitch and everything gets really messy.”
He was asked about the nervousness that his players have shown in several matches including this one, which have led to several capitulations. “You cannot train it,” his answer began.
“You try to find the right space to press and not press really high. It’s trying to find those things you need to win and to be comfortable.
“We can manage by not suffering the goal in the beginning and put the fans on our side. You know what I mean, put the momentum with us. It is always the opposite and then, to lose again at home, it’s not acceptable.”
He then expressed confidence in his methods and insisted that he will not be changing anything soon.
“It’s going to be like that until the end [of the season] because it’s really hard to work on the pitch,” he said. “We will have find a way to win matches. The only way is to give some confidence to the players is to win games.
“The only thing I know how to do it is help seeing the game how I see it. We need to be better and that is really clear. It doesn’t matter if I have a lot of time to know our players, or not, we need to change that. So we continue to work and to change these details that can change the games.
“That is clear for me. With me, it’s clear I’m not going to change the way I see the game. I’m very clear on that. The players will suffer and the fans are going to suffer. I’m really sorry, I have one way of doing things. We need to survive this moment and it’s very clear for everybody what we are going to do. I’ve explained this situation.
“I will play the way I play because that was the idea. I was very clear in everything, with the fans, the board and everybody. They knew what to expect with me. But it’s not the important thing, it’s not acceptable to lose so many games. In five games at home, to lose four and win one, is really hard for any club. Imagine it at Manchester United – so we need to improve.”
