Jose Mourinho 'More Disappointed' in United Draw vs. Wolves Than Tottenham Loss

Jose Mourinho said he was "more disappointed" by Manchester United's 1-1 draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League on Saturday than he was their 3-0 home loss to Tottenham Hotspur on Aug. 27, per Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News.

The United boss spoke after the Red Devils blew a 1-0 lead when Joao Moutinho equalised on 53 minutes at Old Trafford. The two dropped points left United eight off the top and prompted Mourinho to criticise his squad's attitude.

Mourinho was particularly irked by his side's slow start, saying: "The attitude made the difference. They were in the game since the first minute. They play every ball, every second in the maximum of their intensity and desire, and we didn't. We start poorly. We start both halves at a low intensity, and [it] is difficult to win matches when you are not there."

The 55-year-old wasn't impressed by his players' inability to match the visitors' intensity: "A fair result Wolves, by the way they faced the game, deserved because they play like I like to play, which is like the World Cup final. That's the attitude that I like my teams to have every match, and we didn't have that. They had [it]; we didn't."

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Luckhurst also noted how Mourinho hit out at the idea his players needed a reminder to approach the game with the appropriate attitude. Mourinho called taking any opponent seriously "a basic law of football."

Mourinho used the humbling defeat to Spurs to underscore how far off the pace his players were against Wolves. Although the Reds shipped three goals to Tottenham, the manager said, "I like very, very much my team's performance."

However, Mourinho was baffled when trying to explain why Saturday's display didn't match United's earlier efforts: "And today of course we had a better result, but I didn't like my team. I can't explain a difference of attitude because I never have a difference of attitude. For me, [it] is difficult to explain that."

The consistent references to the application and mentality of his players ring true after a number of senior stars failed to impress. Striker Romelu Lukaku was among the most culpable, with Luckhurst lamenting a perceived lack of effort:

Meanwhile, Alexis Sanchez was substituted for a third game in a row thanks to another lacklustre display. The former Arsenal ace has simply not delivered in a United shirt:

Mourinho was right to vent his frustration because the stalemate with Wolves ended a three-match winning run. Victories over Burnley and Watford appeared to have put United back on track in the Premier League following two losses from three to start the season.

This result merely strengthens the view that Mourinho's group is not equipped, physically or mentally, to challenge for the title among Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City.