Daley Blind has opened up on just what it was like to play under Jose Mourinho during his time at Manchester United and has praised his game plan for the 2017 Europa League final.
The Portuguese coach won a Europa League trophy and the Carabao Cup before he was sacked by the Red Devils in the winter of 2018 after a dismal season in 2018-2019.
Daley Blind seemed unsuited to Jose Mourinho’s rather physical style of play but the Dutchman did feature for the Red Devils throughout Mourinho’s time at Old Trafford.
The Dutch defender was either deployed as a centre-back or left-back as Mourinho was seemingly unconvinced by Luke Shaw’s ability to play for Manchester United.
Blind on Mourinho
Speaking to The Athletic, Blind was full of praise for Mourinho and held no grudge towards the defender when he was replaced in the side.
“I felt I had to prove myself again, because I’m maybe not the first type of player you’d relate to Mourinho’s playing style, but he gave me an honest chance.,” Blind said.
“He felt I was a player he could trust; who was stable and wouldn’t do crazy things on the pitch. I took that chance and played as a centre-back and left-back. I played a lot in the first Mourinho season.”
Europa League final
United won against Ajax in the emotionally charged Europa League final in Stockholm. Mourinho was praised for the way in which he lined up the Red Devils to stifle the Dutch side.
“He gave us this crazy, brilliant plan to shut them down and kill the game. Ajax played attractive football and pressed high,” Blind recalled.
“We were physically stronger than Ajax, we also played directly with more long balls so Ajax couldn’t press us.”
That night in Stockholm looked to be the night that United became a major player in the Premier League but, despite finishing second in the Premier League in the following season, they never came close to challenging Manchester City.
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