“It is hard for me to believe that we are playing on that field, if you can call it a field.”
Jose Mourinho has complained about the pitch for Manchester United’s Europa League game, and rightly so.
The surface at the Olimp-2 Stadium in Russia appears to be in terrible condition for the last 16 tie on Thursday, and the United manager didn’t hide his feelings when asked about it ahead of the game.
“It’s still hard for me to believe that we are going to play tomorrow,” Mourinho told reporters on Wednesday, before saying the poor pitch may influence his team selection.
“I know we have to, but I find it hard to believe we are going to play on that field, if you can call it a field. I don’t know which team to play, really. I have now a lot to think because I was expecting something more playable.”
Mourinho likened the pitch to the one at the Bird’s Nest stadium in China last summer, which was so bad after poor weather that a pre-season friendly with Manchester City had to be called-off.
The United manager said he complained to a UEFA official about the surface, but was told that “the players are insured if something happens.”
It’s often difficult to agree with some of Mourinho’s complaints, but in this case he’s fully justified. The pitch appears to be in terrible condition ahead of the game.
Paul HirstHere’s the surface Mourinho and United thought they would be playing on:
Herrera & Rojo testing out the bounce of the ball in Rostov ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/BGTBQHeULv
— Simon Peach (@SimonPeach) March 8, 2017
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