Jose Mourinho Talks Football 'Einsteins' After Northampton vs. Manchester United

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho slammed football's "Einsteins" who criticised him and the Red Devils for their three losses on the bounce ahead of Wednesday's 3-1 EFL Cup win over Northampton Town.

Successive defeats to Manchester City, Feyenoord and Watford saw United at a low ebb before the victory at the Sixfields Stadium, but Mourinho hit out at his critics after beating the Cobblers, accusing them of trying to "delete" his career and the Red Devils' history, per MUTV (via James Orr in the Sun):

"We had a bad week. I know that the world is full of Einsteins, I know that they tried to delete 16 years of my career, they tried to delete an unbelievable history of Manchester United Football Club and to focus on a bad week with three bad results. But that’s the new football, it’s full of Einsteins."

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United's victory against Northampton came thanks to goals from Michael Carrick—in his first appearance of the season—Ander Herrera and Marcus Rashford.

It was not wholly convincing from United against their League One hosts. Northampton equalised through Alex Revell's penalty just before half-time, and it took until the 68th minute for Herrera to put United ahead once more.

Substitute Rashford then sealed United's passage through to the next round—where they will face Manchester City—to continue his extraordinary record on his various debuts, per Bleacher Report UK:

Mourinho's side now face three home matches in a row, starting with defending Premier League champions Leicester City on Saturday.

Given that United are already six points back from league leaders City, the Old Trafford clash with the Foxes is almost a must-win game.

If nothing else, a victory over Claudio Ranieri's men would boost United's confidence ahead of further clashes with FC Zorya Luhansk in the UEFA Europa League and Stoke City in the Premier League.

Following three away matches in a row in all competitions, Mourinho believes returning home will benefit his side, per MUTV (via Orr):

"We have three home matches now in a row, and it is always good to be at home. I can understand clearly the disappointment. If the fans have been disappointed with the last week, I understand completely, but I am sure they will be behind the team like they always are."

Much of the discussion following United's three successive defeats concerned Mourinho's selection, with captain Wayne Rooney coming in for particular criticism, especially after a poor performance as part of a midfield three against Watford, as discussed below by a Bleacher Report panel:

Summer signing Paul Pogba was also largely disappointing against City, Feyenoord and the Hornets, but he may benefit from playing alongside different personnel in the future.

For many, Carrick and Herrera are the ideal pair to play alongside the Frenchman in United's midfield, and they proved as much with excellent performances against Northampton, per Football365's Daniel Storey:

It certainly seems clear that Mourinho needs to make changes to the starting XI he fielded against Watford if United are to pick up three points against Leicester, and the Northampton performance will have proved to the Portuguese there are alternative options available.