Carragher believes negative Mourinho will cost Man Utd title

Jamie Carragher has questioned Jose Mourinho’s caution against their top-six rivals and believes playing for draws could cost Manchester United a chance of Premier League glory.

United started the season with nine wins from their opening 10 games in all competitions, but set up to nullify Liverpool as Saturday’s much-anticipated encounter resulted in a tedious 0-0 draw.

And Carragher believes such a negative approach could cost United a shot at winning the Premier League title, hinting their hopes of glory would better be served by trying to beat, rather than not to lose, against their top-six opponents.

Our Monday Verdict discussed Mourinho’s tactics at Anfield, describing him as a ‘Master of the Dark Arts’ and Carragher has followed up by telling Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football:

First of all I should say I had no problem whatsoever with what Jose Mourinho did. He’s always done it and I expected it before the game.

“Jurgen Klopp said afterwards that Liverpool could never play like that; well maybe his Liverpool could never play like that, but my Liverpool did and we did it plenty of times and got results on the back of it.

“I think the criticism will be saved until the end of the season if results in big away games don’t improve and it costs Manchester United the title.”

Mourinho’s last 10 away games at Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham have yielded five draws and five defeats – with his team more tellingly, not even scoring in the last nine of those.

And Carragher, who was joined in the studios by Peter Schmeichel, continued: “Jose Mourinho has always been lauded – and rightly so – as the man for the big occasion, the man in a big game, a ‘Mourinho masterclass’ winning these games.

“His way, of late, is not working.

“I go back to when Peter Schmeichel was winning titles with Manchester United and they possibly had six big games – Liverpool home and away, Arsenal home and away and someone else challenging, whether it was Chelsea or Newcastle.

“That’s 18 points. With the top six now that’s 30 points. That’s a big part of the season. You’ve got 10 games home and away.

“If that doesn’t improve they won’t win the league and that’s when the criticism will come.

“I won’t criticise him for the way he played at Anfield because you can still win a game playing like that – but if those results continue I think it will be very difficult to win the title.”

Manchester City currently lead the table by two points and Carragher reckons Mourinho may have to abandon his caution in those games.

“Manchester City have already got six points out six in the head-to-heads with Liverpool and Chelsea,” Carragher added.

“Manchester United have had one game and one point against Liverpool and it’s a good result for Manchester United, not a bad result.

“But somewhere along the line he’s got to pick up these points. If he doesn’t, and City continue in the head-to-heads, that’s where the criticism will come that he’s been too negative.”