Pogba says Man Utd players in ‘shock’ after Spurs humbling
Paul Pogba said Manchester United's players were in "shock" after a 3-0 defeat to Spurs dealt a heavy blow to their Premier League title ambitions.
Manchester United’s Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho (C) greets Manchester United’s French midfielder Paul Pogba (R) after the final whistle in the English Premier League football match between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford in Manchester, north west England, on August 27, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Oli SCARFF / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. /
After a troubled build-up to the season, United have lost two of their first three matches of a campaign for the first time since 1992-93.
That season, Alex Ferguson’s men went on to clinch the title but there are few signs that under-fire manager Jose Mourinho can win United’s first league title since 2013 following Monday’s defeat at Old Trafford.
“It’s bizarre,” said Pogba. “(Against Tottenham) we were determined, we started well, and in the end we lost 3-0. It’s a shock.”
“Even we don’t understand what happened,” added the French World Cup winner. “We started the game really well, we conceded two goals in the second half.
“The first goal was a real blow, we didn’t understand why, because we had the game in hand. One goal, two… we kept pushing, we had chances, and we conceded the third.
“The fans kept pushing us, they were really behind us. We feel really sorry for them, very disappointed. We wanted to do better.”
“I think it was an undeserved defeat for us, in our desire, in everything we put into it. But football can be cruel. We just have to bounce back.”
United desperately need to return to winning ways at Burnley on Sunday to ease the pressure heading into the international break.
Last season’s runners-up are already six points behind a clutch of teams including Spurs and Liverpool but Pogba is keeping calm and focused.
“It won’t be easy, but it’s just the start of the season,” said the Frenchman, who has been strongly linked with a move to Barcelona following a difficult period under Mourinho. “I prefer to start badly and end well than start well and finish badly.”
Pogba’s teammate Luke Shaw also believes the players can turn things around.
“You always see a lot of things in the media that go on about what our dressing room is like,” the 23-year-old told MUTV.
“But, look, we have a really good spirit, a really good group of lads and a group that want to work, want to achieve big things here.”
“We’ll improve, we’ll keep working hard,” he added. “It’s early in the season so we’ve got a lot of games to come and a lot of positive things from tonight.”
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