5 lessons learned by Jose Mourinho after Bristol City defeat

Bristol City v Manchester United - Carabao Cup Quarter-Final
Bristol City v Manchester United - Carabao Cup Quarter-Final

Carabao Cup holders Manchester United fell to a shock 2-1 defeat against Championship side Bristol City in the quarter-final of the competition, with the Robins netting a late goal to clinch an unlikely semi-final spot.

The Red Devils were lacklustre, complacent and lethargic for the majority of the match, with their opposition happy to capitalise on it.

United boss Jose Mourinho fielded a surprisingly strong side for the cup clash, but the multi-million pound players did not perform to their expected levels.

Here are five things that Jose will have learned from the humbling away defeat.

Signings need to be made in the January transfer window

Certain players on the field showed no spirit, fight or determination and Mourinho himself knows that he needs everyone to fight for a place in his starting line-up on a weekly basis.

Daley Blind and Matteo Darmian performed poorly. Both players struggled to take advantage of the opportunity given to them, in order to prove they are worthy to remain at the club.

Bristol City v Manchester United - Carabao Cup Quarter-Final
Bristol City v Manchester United - Carabao Cup Quarter-Final

Besides Antonio Valencia, there is no real quality full-backs in the United squad and replacing the aforementioned duo would be a welcome move for the manager to make.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is ageing and Mourinho could be tempted to make an approach for another striker once the January transfer window opens.

The attitude of the players was not professional

The United players went to Bristol City expecting to comfortably dispatch them and move on into the semi-finals. This was far from the case.

Their Championship opponents were in their faces for the entire 90 minutes and consequently rewarded with a famous win in-front of their boisterous supporters.

Bristol City v Manchester United - Carabao Cup Quarter-Final
Bristol City v Manchester United - Carabao Cup Quarter-Final

Top quality players including Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford did not perform to the standard that is expected of them usually, which could have been due to complacency.

The players should have approached this cup game as they do any other match in the Premier League or UEFA Champions League - they failed to, which has ultimately cost them.

The fact that Mourinho himself publicly revealed post-match that perhaps players did not want to turn up to play is a very worrying sign, a lack of professionalism.

Scott McTominay needs more competitive football

United's young midfielder McTominay started the match but failed to take control in midfield during a game where he would have fancied himself to excel against lower league opposition.

Perhaps, the central midfielder needs to be sent out on-loan, where he would gain valuable experience from playing first-team minutes on a weekly basis.

Manchester United v CSKA Moskva - UEFA Champions League
Manchester United v CSKA Moskva - UEFA Champions League

He seemed to be nervous in possession and always passed sideways or backward, as opposed to looking for a killer pass towards the forward players.

That could be down to his inexperience, or also being overwhelmed by Paul Pogba's presence alongside him in the middle of the pitch.

There are high hopes at United for McTominay's long-term future, but a year or two out on loan may be the best possible option for his development at present.

Luke Shaw could be back to his best soon

United left-back Luke Shaw played the full match and is gradually working his way back into the senior side, having been frozen out of the squad for an extended period.

Many critics expect Mourinho to offload the talented Englishman with a number of suitors monitoring his situation, but his individual display against Bristol City was a decent one.

Bristol City v Manchester United - Carabao Cup Quarter-Final
Bristol City v Manchester United - Carabao Cup Quarter-Final

Shaw rarely put a foot wrong over the 90 minutes and performances like these might give Mourinho a tough decision to make going forward. Tottenham fullback Danny Rose has been heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford, while Shaw himself is supposedly keen on moving to north London.

Despite this transfer speculation, Shaw continues to regain fitness as well as confidence - so it's not hard to imagine he'll be back to his best soon.

Without Matic, there is no link between defence and attack

In Nemanja Matic's absence, Daley Blind replaced the experienced Serbian - but struggled to replicate his teammates' influence in midfield.

Matic is the player who links United's defence and attack so well, by collecting the ball from the centre-backs and actively looking for runs to feed the attack-minded players.

Manchester United v AFC Bournemouth - Premier League
Manchester United v AFC Bournemouth - Premier League

It appeared as though United players were just looking to pass towards Paul Pogba at every possible opportunity, but the creative Frenchman performed poorly and there was no alternative.

Mourinho will have picked up on this and will realise Matic's importance to link the team together - something that Michael Carrick can also do effectively, but is not reliable enough fitness-wise to remain available all the time.

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Edited by Mosope Ominiyi