Jose Mourinho claims his Manchester United side are still “strong at home” despite numerous draws at Old Trafford this season.
The United boss also claimed that his sides unbeaten run of 20 games – drawing 10 – gives him confidence for next season in the Premier League.
“I still think we are strong at home, that’s my feeling and looking to the next season I think it is a good feeling to know we don’t lose many matches, it is good to know we have a fantastic run of 20 unbeaten matches in the Premier League,” he said.
“I know, as an example, 10 matches, 10 draws are 10 points. Ten matches, five victories and five defeats are 15 points. What is better? The 15 points, obviously. But in terms looking to the future I prefer to look at 10 matches, 10 draws.
“You have something that is not easy to have; you are quite solid mentally, difficult to be beaten, fight against difficult circumstances, a kind of mentality of resilience is good to have it. But the points are reality and, I repeat, would be better for us in 10 matches to have five victories and five defeats.”
He added: “I still think in spite of the bad results, because for us a draw is a bad result, I still think we are strong at home. Why? Because we have lost only one game [against Manchester City] and that game we know why we lost.
We lost because strange things happened during the match, so one defeat at home in all the competitions and what makes me think we are strong is the way opponents play against us because that is a big change.”
“I know because I watch, I analyse – Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford, counter-attack goals. It is impossible for us to score on the counter attack; the teams come to Old Trafford thinking not about winning, thinking about not losing.
“That gives me the feeling that we are strong. We are not strong enough because we are not winning. We are not good enough or strong enough to score the goals that we should, we are giving the opponent goalkeeper the chance to be so many times the man of the match.
“And I repeat, and I repeat the same I said in the last post-match; opinions, it is not a critic, but many, many decisions that punished us during the whole season.”
Mourinho also claimed he had sympathy for former Manchester United boss David Moyes, who has been struggling with Sunderland as of late – with Mourinho saying he feels sympathy for any manager fighting hard to reach the goals set by their club.
“I have sympathy with every manager that is fighting hard to reach their objectives,” he said.
“Everyone is a good professional; everyone gives everything and fights all season. Some of us, we are sacked in the middle of the season; it’s difficult for everyone, so of course I have sympathy.”
