Jose Mourinho has admitted Manchester United’s ambitions have changed after their difficult start to the Premier League season. Saturday evening’s 2-2 draw at struggling Southampton see’s United in seventh place in the division, eight points off Arsenal in the final Champions League place. Mourinho recently stated that he expected his side to be in the top four by the end of this month, but ahead of his teams game against Arsenal at Old Trafford tomorrow he has admitted that his ‘target,’ has now changed.
“Before the Crystal Palace game I told my hopes and targets were, by the end of December, to be in that position,” “The target changed, but in the sense of let’s try to close the distance as best we can and be very close to these positions.’’ Mourinho told his pre-match press conference. “So I think it’s far from a miracle, we just need to not be so unlucky with problems that we have, we need some players to perform better than they are and we need to perform better as a team, but far from a miracle.”
Mourinho said in his programme notes ahead of the visit of Everton on October 28: “I believe at the end of December we will be in a completely different position in the table.” The United manager also added on the eve of the Palace game on November 24 ‘I believe we are going to be there [top four]’. However, the recent setbacks against Premier League strugglers Palace and Southampton, who sacked Mark Hughes on Monday, have left United eight points adrift of fourth-placed Arsenal.
Mourinho reportedly claimed in a Portuguese interview with Brazilian television at Southampton United need a ‘miracle’ to secure Champions League qualification, but clarified that he does not genuinely believe United require a miracle. “I what?” Mourinho replied. “Nah. Is not, I don’t know if I say or if I didn’t but if I used that word, it is not what I feel at all. We have like eight or nine points from fourth something like that. I don’t think we need a miracle at all.
