Jose Mourinho has expressed his worry over his team’s failure to play to his instruction whenever they are on the field.

Crystal Palace picked their first point at Old Trafford in 12 outings when they drew goalless against Manchester United in a game that could have gone the way of the visitors.

The Red Devils have been inconsistent this season and are facing the danger of missing out on the top four.

READ MORE: Mukarama Abdulai sets new record despite Black Maidens shocking exit

Jose Mourinho believes Manchester United’s poor showing on the field is his players failure to play to his instruction.

"I want the team to start strong, go strong on the opposition, not to be waiting," he said.

"Probably you [the media] or the fans think Jose told them to start slow and play nice and easy or to be waiting for them to react. It is exactly the opposite. I want the team to go immediately and it is a bit frustrating."

Mourinho's team can book their place in the knockout rounds of the Champions League on Tuesday if they beat Young Boys at Old Trafford and Valencia fail to beat Juventus in Turin.

The United manager accused his players of lacking "heart and desire" during the 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace on Saturday and he does not want a repeat performance against the Swiss champions.

READ MORE: Ghanaian striker sets record as the greatest foreign scorer in Egyptian topflight league

"It is not a crucial match because if we don't win we still don't depend on other results, so is not a crucial game but I want to play from minute one like it's the last chance we have to qualify," Mourinho said.

"I want to play this game as a knockout game and the team we are going to pick is a team that tries to have that happiness to cope with that little pressure to the players that is not a real pressure because the reality is we have one more match to play.