After so much double-speak from Jose Mourinho about how he can’t get his team to Liverpool’s level of intensity, but that he was at the same time entirely happy with his players, he suddenly went as direct as a long ball to Marouane Fellaini.

“I don’t think a football team is just a squad,” the Manchester United manager said following the 3-1 defeat by Liverpool. “It’s much more.”

The clear implication, of course, is that there is much more to the dysfunction than his management; that he hasn’t been backed.

Not for the first time in this job, though, Mourinho may have inadvertently said more than he intended.

Because there is much more going on here beyond his management, but maybe not in the way he thinks.

Liverpool vs Manchester United: Player ratings Show all 23 1 /23 Liverpool vs Manchester United: Player ratings Liverpool vs Manchester United: Player ratings Alisson - 4 out of 10 A very, very poor error to allow Lingard to equalise to allow Manchester United a foothold in the game. Untested otherwise, but fortunate it didn’t cost his side. Getty Images Liverpool vs Manchester United: Player ratings Nathaniel Clyne - 6 Solid on his return to Premier League action, though lacking in the overall impact that Alexander-Arnold and Gomez have given. AFP/Getty Images Liverpool vs Manchester United: Player ratings Dejan Lovren - 6 Could perhaps have done better to cut out Lukaku’s cross for Manchester United’s goal, though the fault obviously lies ultimately with Alisson. One chance skewed wide. AFP/Getty Images Liverpool vs Manchester United: Player ratings Virgil van Dijk - 7 Totally controlled Lukaku. Another strong performance from a man who is surely front-runner for Player of the Year at this stage. Getty Images Liverpool vs Manchester United: Player ratings Andy Robertson - 6 Seemingly every single one of his corners failed to beat the first man. Even afforded acres of room in the second half failed to produce a meaning delivery into the box. Getty Images Liverpool vs Manchester United: Player ratings Sadio Mane - 8 Took his goal nicely, bringing Fabinho’s pass down from an uncomfortable height superbly. Menacing throughout, from the right in the first half and the left later on. Liverpool FC via Getty Images Liverpool vs Manchester United: Player ratings Georginio Wijnaldum - 7 Pass, move, break up play. His evolution into an all-around central midfielder has been superb to watch. Undroppable. Getty Images Liverpool vs Manchester United: Player ratings Fabinho - 8 Excellent in tandem with Wijnaldum, controlling the game and finding constant pockets of space. A delightful pass for Mane’s opener. Emerging as a top Premier League defensive midfielder after initial struggles. Getty Images Liverpool vs Manchester United: Player ratings Naby Keita - 6 A competent, if not especially influential, performance on the left of midfield. Getty Images Liverpool vs Manchester United: Player ratings Roberto Firmino - 7 An assist for Shaqiri’s game sealing goal to cap a strong showing. Used the space created by Salah, Mane and Keita well to create chances in the first half. AFP/Getty Images Liverpool vs Manchester United: Player ratings Mohamed Salah - 7 Probably the least effective of Liverpool’s forward line but still a good performance. Liverpool FC via Getty Images Liverpool vs Manchester United: Player ratings SUB: Xherdan Shaqiri - 9 Immense impact with his fortuitous deflected drive to give Liverpool the lead, and his second similarly diverted effort to extend it. AFP/Getty Liverpool vs Manchester United: Player ratings David de Gea - 7 A string of excellent as Liverpool dominated throughout. Faultless for the three goals, and it would have been more without him. Getty Images Liverpool vs Manchester United: Player ratings Matteo Darmian - 6 Surprisingly solid at both centre back and right back as others around him struggled. Man Utd via Getty Images Liverpool vs Manchester United: Player ratings Eric Bailly - 5 A number of flying interventions that only served to highlight how disjointed the Manchester United defence was, particularly early on. Getty Images Liverpool vs Manchester United: Player ratings Victor Lindelof - 4 Really struggled with Liverpool’s movement. Looked more comfortable when the defence went to a four. Getty Images Liverpool vs Manchester United: Player ratings Ashley Young - 5 Should have tracked Mane’s run more effectively for the opener. He and Lindelof really struggled with Liverpool’s threat down the right early on. AFP/Getty Images Liverpool vs Manchester United: Player ratings Diogo Dalot - 5 While on the pitch ineffectual, though much of Liverpool’s play came down the other wing. A booking before being taken off at half time. Man Utd via Getty Images Liverpool vs Manchester United: Player ratings Ander Herrera - 4 An ill-advised, ill-timed, ill-conceived lunge on Mane allowed the Senegalese attacker to get to the byline for Shaqiri’s first. Gave the ball away far too regularly, though he was not alone in that regard among the visitors. Liverpool FC via Getty Images Liverpool vs Manchester United: Player ratings Nemanja Matic - 5 Failed to adequately shield a vulnerable defence. AFP Liverpool vs Manchester United: Player ratings Marcus Rashford - 5 Not his sort of game, and cut a frustrated figure at times, though he ran hard and tracked back when necessary. AFP/Getty Images Liverpool vs Manchester United: Player ratings Jesse Lingard - 5 On the spot to capitalise on Alisson’s blunder. Otherwise he struggled to get on the ball, and when he did struggled to keep it. AFP/Getty Images Liverpool vs Manchester United: Player ratings Romelu Lukaku - 4 Three touches in the first 20 minutes, two in his own box and none in Liverpool’s half. It didn’t improve much from there, and even his cross leading to the goal found a Liverpool player. Getty Images

The talk of a potential sale to private Saudi Arabian buyers has not gone away. It’s only got louder. While the official stance is that the Glazer family do not want to sell, many around the club now believe that would change if they got an offer of £4bn. Some believe that has been discussed through back channels, and even at higher levels.

While that is something for the future, especially the potential controversy surrounding such a sale given some of the headlines around Saudi Arabian politics recently, it may well be relevant for the short term – and Mourinho’s squad, and job.

If it is the case they want to sell, it means the United owners are unlikely to want to make any decisions that warrant extra expenditure. It would mean no January signings – something sources say was already likely – and mean no change of manager, certainly not before it is confirmed he mathematically cannot get top four. The latter, after all, would require more of a pay-off.

That means more of this, more of the same – more of the same excuses, from a manager seemingly out of answers or ideas.

United do have many problems, and do need the “reset” Gary Neville so often talks about without criticising the Glazers, but the most immediate problem remains the manager. He is responsible for too much that could be fixed even in this situation, most of all the coaching of this team. Many might say that United cannot risk opening out away at a Liverpool as good as this, but that is only because they have not been coached to do so. The parameters have already been set.

Jose Mourinho shakes hands with Jurgen Klopp at full-time (AFP/Getty Images)

If there was a long time debate about whether Mourinho is “past it”, or the game has left him behind, it now seems undeniable.

How else to explain the bizarre tangent about the “physicality” of his players, their injury proneness and how they just can’t match the intensity of Liverpool?

It again feels like a mere excuse for conservative small-team football that now looks so far behind what Jurgen Klopp was trying, not to mention Pep Guardiola or Mauricio Pochettino.

Mourinho again essentially came to this stadium with a cowardly approach, not looking to actually play, but just hoping United could get away with something.

They thereby got what they deserved: nothing.

And it does now seem he has nothing else to offer.

A second odd tangent involved a long monologue about his great previous teams, and how Liverpool remind him of his Porto, and all the different qualities Internazionale and Real Madrid had.

It again seemed little more than an attempt to claim some credit by association, while reminding everyone of what he used to be capable of, because the actual football doesn’t. It is also precisely what he used to criticise other managers like Arsene Wenger for.

Substitute Xherdan Shaqiri scored twice to seal victory (AFP/Getty) (AFP/Getty Images)

Appeals to “remember how great I used to be” run hollow when the current facts are so bleak. United are still in sixth but 11 points off the top four and 19 off the top, having endured their worst ever start to a Premier League season.

That might improve given they have a forgiving list of fixtures coming up over Christmas, but it says as much as anything that you can’t make any guarantees about United even in games like that right now.

That’s how bad it’s got. That’s how bad it looked.