Ferdinand: Man United didn’t look like ‘Mourinho team’ at Basel
The Manchester United legend wasn't impressed with an uncharacteristically poor performance at Basel
Rio Ferdinand admitted he was surprised to see an uncharacteristically poor Manchester United performance in Wednesday night’s 1-0 loss to Basel.
The Reds Devils bounced back from a 1-0 defeat by defending Premier League champions Chelsea before the international break with a resounding 4-1 win against Newcastle United at Old Trafford last weekend.
However, Manchester United struggled to find the net in the first half of their Champions League clash in Switzerland despite the visitors dominating possession.
Belgium international Marounae Fellaini failed to celebrate his 30th birthday with a goal after the towering midfielder’s header hit the woodwork in the first half.
Marcos Rojo made his first start since suffering a serious knee problem last term and the Argentina international was required to make a brilliant tackle to prevent Basel from breaking the deadlock.
Mourinho’s side looked to be edging toward a 13th clean sheet of the season despite resting David De Gea for the trip to Basel.
However, the Swiss outfit converted their second-half dominance into a winning goal when Michael Lang beat Man United No2 Sergio Romero in the 89th minute.
Former Manchester United defender Ferdinand expressed his surprise to see a Mourinho team failed to see out a crucial result.
“It’s what you wouldn’t really associate with a Jose Mourinho team – and that’s lacking professionalism,” Ferdinand told BT Sport.
“In the second half they lacked that discipline. It just wasn’t good enough in the second half.”
Manchester United need to avoid a 7-0 loss to CSKA Moscow in their final group game to secure a place in the knockout stage.
