MU: I regret having the snakehead fish and also want the crucian carp!

(Baonghean.vn) - With a 2-0 victory at Zorya, coach Mourinho and his team officially entered the Europa League knockout round with the second place in the group. Instead of being happy, MU fans felt worried about that achievement.

Immediately after the Europa League group stage draw, the Portuguese coach made a shocking statement: "Being in a difficult group is a good thing because it makes us think we are playing in the Champions League. Similar groups often appear in the Champions League. We know that the matches will be very difficult. However, it is good news for those who are waiting for our matches in the Europa League...". However, not many people believe the sincere sharing of the "special person". Because, after all, the Europa League is not the arena that the Board of Directors and MU fans are aiming for.

Everyone understands that Mourinho was brought to Old Trafford with the aim of helping the "red devils" win the Premier League championship after 3 years without a trophy. Therefore, MU's number 1 priority arena this season is none other than the Premier League, instead of the less famous and risky tournament like the Europa League. However, the Portuguese strategist ignored everything.

True to his words, he forced the MU players to play “seriously” in the recent group stage matches. Watching Ibrahimovic play was no different than them playing in the prestigious Champions League. Although it was quite difficult, Mourinho finally got what he wanted: a ticket to the knockout round.

Coach Mourinho made some unwise decisions. Photo: Internet.

Of course, to achieve such results, MU also had to pay a high price through 6 matches in the group stage. Having to face "tough" teams such as Fenerbahce, Feyenoord, Zorya, along with the long distance between England and Turkey, the Netherlands, and Ukraine has caused MU players to lose a lot of energy. And remember one thing, Europa League matches always take place on Thursday. That is, the gap between the matches in the Europa League and Premier League is only 2-3 days (Saturday, Sunday).

With such a short break, it is difficult for the players to recover their health in the best way, and it is easy to understand why in the past matches in the most prestigious tournament in the "foggy land", MU players often had inaccurate shots.

Returning from a trip to Ukraine with his teammates, striker Ibrahimovic shared: “Playing in the Europa League on Thursday makes the players exhausted... I am not used to playing on Thursday. After that, I only have 1 day off before returning to intense training for the match on Sunday. Fatigue is obvious and this is the reason why MU did not play well and is moving away from the dream of winning the championship.”

Through that, we can see that the 6th position on the Premier League rankings up to this point of coach Mourinho and his team has partly been influenced by the Europa League playground.

MU had to spend a lot of energy for Europa League. Photo: Internet.

Now, the Old Trafford team has fallen far behind the TOP 4 (6 points behind rival MC and 13 points behind the leading team Chelsea). Although the Premier League has only passed 15 rounds, MU has almost no chance of winning the championship. Even to win 1 of the top 4 positions to own a ticket to the Champions League next season, it seems quite difficult for coach Mourinho and his team.

In the near future, the most prestigious tournament in England will enter a fierce phase with a dense competition schedule. The harmful effects of losing strength due to fighting in the Europa League in the past time will be more clearly shown in the running steps of Ibrahimovic and his teammates. Surely, now the "special one" is regretting his decision.

“Once you start, you have to follow through,” Coach Mourinho will accept to put all his efforts into competing in the Europa League, hoping to win a ticket to the 2017-2018 Champions League (the Europa League champion will be able to participate in the group stage of the Champions League next season). In theory, that is true, but winning the European second-tier tournament is not easy for MU players, when a series of names such as: AS Roma, Fiorentina, Tottenham, Bilbao... are ready to block their progress.

The Old Trafford team is stuck in 6th place in the Premier League. Photo: Internet.

In terms of form and squad quality, coach Mourinho and his team are not much better than those teams. Therefore, going through the "back door" - Europa League to reach the Champions League is not a wise choice for the "special one". The lesson of Liverpool and of MU under Van Gaal last season is a typical example of the action of "reluctant to let a cockroach and a crucian carp go".

It is very likely that MU will have to pay a heavy price for coach Mourinho's unwise decision when he did not dare to "let go" of the Europa League to focus on the Premier League. In life, sometimes "too many connections make you sleep alone at night"!

Thanh Hung