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The Portuguese demands from his players that they prove that they are able to cope with the weight of the wait that comes with playing Old Trafford
Jose Mourinho has warned his Manchester United team to "stay home" if they are not able to withstand the pressure of playing in front of the Old Trafford crowd.
United is likely to lose four consecutive UEFA Europa League winless home matches for the first time in its history by hosting the Young Boys in the Champions League on Tuesday, but the Red Devils boss has denied that his players prefer to play away from home.
"I think it would be a lack of respect for the stadium and the fans to say that we prefer to play outside," said Mourinho.
"If you ask me if I prefer to play at home against the Young Boys or go to Bern, I always prefer to play at home.
"If you feel pressure when people come to support you, stay and watch TV, I never feel pressured at home."
The men of Mourinho are two points behind Juventus and two more ahead of Valencia, third after Turin's 2-1 win in Turin earlier this month.
Subsequent results in the Premier League were less impressive: a 3-1 defeat in the Manchester derby followed the international truce after Saturday's 0-0 draw against the Crystal Palace.
And, given their difficulties, the Portuguese challenged his players to treat the European showdown with the Young Boys as a knockout match, although it is acknowledged that victory is not essential.
"This is not a crucial match, because if we do not win tomorrow, we still do not depend on other results," he said. "We will always depend on ourselves.
"But I want to play from the first minute, as if it was the last chance to qualify." I want to play this game as a playoff game, as if we were to win.
"The team I'm going to play, I [want to see] the happiness of facing the little pressure that I will try to add to the players.
"It's not a real pressure because we still have a game to play, let's forget Valencia and Juventus, let's play this game as a game we have to win."
United remains well positioned to advance in Europe but Mourinho, who has admitted that his midfielder lacks aggression, wants his team to let go of his lethargy.
"I do not want the team to wait, do not be reactive but proactive, you or the fans probably think that Jose said [the players] to start slowly and gently and easily, or to wait to react.
"It's exactly the opposite – it's frustrating," he concluded.
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