Manchester United defender Eric Bailly will miss Europa League final for being 'naive', admits Jose Mourinho
The Ivorian defender was sent off in the final stages of a dramatic 1-1 draw after raising his hands to Celta's Facundo Roncaglia, who also saw red
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Your support makes all the difference.Jose Mourinho admitted Eric Bailly had been naïve to get involved in the fracas that saw the defender sent off at the climax of Manchester United’s Europa League semi-final.
The 23-year-old Ivorian who has enjoyed a superb first season as the linchpin of United’s defence, raised his hand to Celta Vigo’s goalscorer, Facundo Roncaglia, as the match climaxed in the final few minutes. Roncaglia was also dismissed and the two men had to be kept apart as they made their way along the touchline.
“The game was very emotional. Some kept control better than others,” Mourinho said. “Roncaglia is not new in these situations but Bailly was probably naïve. We now lose a very good player for the final and we don’t have many.”
With Marcos Rojo unavailable for the final through injury, Mourinho will have to rely on Daley Blind, who is not a specialist centre-half, and either Chris Smalling or Phil Jones, two players who have borne the brunt of his criticism throughout the season.
In Stockholm, Manchester United will now face an Ajax side that held off Lyon to win their semi final 5-4 on aggregate. However, Mourinho pointed out that the Eredivisie season ends on Sunday and Manchester United will have to play three more games before the final.
Mourinho also acknowledged that a 1-1 draw at home to one of La Liga’s minor clubs was not the perfect way to get to Stockholm. Had the former Manchester City forward John Guidetti not squandered a wonderful opportunity right at the end, Celta would have gone through to their first European final on the away goals rule.
“Every game has a different story and our story this season has been that when you play very well you don’t score a goal,” Mourinho reflected. “That means when you don’t play very well you are in trouble.
“In the first leg in Vigo we played very well. I was calm and relaxed on the bench and I can’t remember one chance they had. In the second leg they had nothing to lose and no responsibility on their shoulders – and they gambled. It was the most important game in their history.”
After the final whistle that saw Celta’s players collapse to the Old Trafford turf exhausted, Mourinho went over to applaud the supporters who had travelled from northern Spain.
“This was their first semi-final. I have lost semi-finals and the first time is the worst time,” he said. “For us, it means the opportunity to win a trophy, it means the opportunity to get back into the Champions League. It means an opportunity to end the season in the perfect way.”
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