Tepid Man United held to goalless draw by Valencia

MANCHESTER (Reuters): Manchester United were held to a 0-0 draw by Valencia in a dour Champions League Group H clash on Tuesday which piled more pressure on their under-fire manager Jose Mourinho amid reports linking former Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane to his job.

It was another frustrating outing for United and Mourinho, who finally took some responsibility for his team’s poor form after defiantly defending his tactics and team selection throughout a patchy start to the season. He also acknowledged the team’s technical weaknesses with a defence that looks shaky every time the opposition come forward and is ill-equipped to build attacks, thus forcing predictable long-ball tactics alien to United’s style.

“I think there are things that are difficult for me to say and I think you have enough reasons to criticise me,” Mourinho told a press conference.

“The players tried. They raised the level of their efforts. They raised the level of their intensity in spite of the fact we don’t have many with that intensity. We don’t have the technical quality to build from the back. Our attacking players aren’t in their best moments of confidence and individual level.”

It was United’s fourth successive winless outing following a 3-1 Premier League defeat by West Ham on Saturday which came on the back of a 1-1 home draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers and League Cup elimination by second-tier Derby County.

The result left United second in the group on four points from two games, two behind leaders Juventus who maintained their perfect start with a 3-0 home win over Young Boys. Valencia have one point and Young Boys none.

United’s next two Champions League games are against Juventus at home on 23 October and in Turin on 7 November.