TheNewsGuru

Tag: Mourinho

  • Mourinho deletes Instagram account after fan abuse

    Mourinho deletes Instagram account after fan abuse

    Jose Mourinho has been forced to delete his Instagram account after copping a load of online abuse following Saturday’s FA Cup final defeat.

    Manchester United lost 1-0 to Chelsea thanks to Eden Hazard’s first-half penalty.

    The Old Trafford boss only got on the photo-sharing website after becoming Red Devils chief in 2016.

    He had amassed an impressive 2.8 million followers while showcasing his work and family life, according to The Sun.

    Users were met with a message saying “user not found” when clicking on a link to Mourinho’s now deactivated account.

    Some United fans on Twitter criticised those who forced the Portuguese into getting rid of his only official social media profile.

    One wrote, “Jose Mourinho has deleted his Instagram account. Some of our fans can be a disgrace!”

    Another posted, “Jose Mourinho has deactivated his Instagram account. Glory hunters out here abusing our OWN manager.”

    One user said, “I disagree with a lot of things Jose Mourinho does but he’s deactivated his Instagram because it seems like he’s getting constantly attacked by the angry fans.”

    A fellow tweeter wrote, “You guys actually cyber-bullied a big man like Jose Mourinho into deactivating his Instagram account.”

    Another said, “I see so many Man United fans abused Jose Mourinho on his Instagram.”

    But one hit back, “I feel sorry for him and his family if he was getting abused. But seriously, when you play Jones and Smalling and refuse to play Martial what do you expect?!”

    Meanwhile, Mourinho is preparing to reshuffle his backroom staff at Old Trafford this summer, and is looking to a figure from his past to join him.

    That man, according to the Mail, is Stefano Rapetti. Rapetti worked as a fitness coach at Inter during Mourinho’s time in charge there between 2008 and 2010.

    The Italian is currently working at Sampdoria, but is leaving at the end of the season to link up with the Manchester United manager once again. When Mourinho arrived in Milan, Rapetti was in charge of the Inter Under-19 setup, but was then promoted to a fitness coach in the first team.

    He will also be adding Michael Carrick to his backroom team, alongside current Under-18 coach Kieran McKenna.

    With current assistant manager Rui Faria set to leave the club to pursue his own career in management, Mourinho will be eager to replace his long term associate. Mourinho first hired Faria after he took over at União de Leiria in Portugal, and the two have worked together ever since, with Faria following him to Porto, Chelsea, Milan, Madrid and Manchester.

  • Mourinho vows to sign Chelsea’s Willian

    Jose Mourinho has vowed to sign Willian from Chelsea this summer despite the Blues’ £60m valuation of the Brazilian.

    Manchester United signed Nemanja Matic from Stamford Bridge last summer but failed with their enquiries for Willian.

    The Brazilian international has been one of Chelsea’s brightest sparks in recent weeks and scored in the club’s 2-1 defeat to United in February at Old Trafford and in the 1-1 home draw with Barcelona in the Champions League last 16.

    Mourinho’s side crashed out of the Champions League after a shock 2-1 defeat to Sevilla on Tuesday and Mourinho’s expected to spend big again to close in on Manchester City next season.

    The Sun UK reports that the Portuguese manager has vowed to try again to sign the Chelsea star and is open to meeting Chelsea’s £60m valuation.

    Possibility of the deal could depend on the future of Antonio Conte at Stamford Bridge with the Italian expected to depart in the summer after two seasons in west London.

  • Mourinho forecasts ‘amazing’ period for Man Utd

    Mourinho forecasts ‘amazing’ period for Man Utd

    Jose Mourinho has predicted an “amazing” period for Manchester United as he prepares to host a series of significant fixtures at Old Trafford across three different competitions.

    United host Chelsea in the English Premier League on Sunday to kick off a run of four home games in their next five matches.

    Mourinho’s side start next month with a league trip to Crystal Palace before welcoming top-four rivals Liverpool.

    A Champions League last-16, second-leg fixture against Sevilla and a home FA Cup quarter-final against Brighton & Hove Albion wrap up the busy period, and Mourinho remains confident ahead of United’s decisive spell in the campaign.

    “I think the next few weeks at Old Trafford will be amazing,” he told MUTV.

    ”Two big matches against two direct rivals in the EPL, two knockout matches that, if things go well, can leave us in the quarter-final of the Champions League and the semi-final of the FA Cup.

    “Sometimes we have periods with three, four consecutive away matches but this time we have four matches at home, with Crystal Palace away in between, but four big matches at Old Trafford.”

    United’s schedule contains 13 fixtures, including 11 league matches, but that total could potentially rise to 20 depending on their progress in the cup competitions.

    “March, April and May can be really busy and going far in the FA Cup creates you problems.

    “We now play Brighton when we were supposed to play West Ham and we don’t know when we’ll play West Ham,” Mourinho added.

    United, currently second in the league, have an opportunity to open up a six-point advantage over fourth-placed Chelsea with a win at the weekend.

     

  • Title race not yet over if in Man utd’s position – Guardiola

    Pep Guardiola says he would not give up on a title race if his Man City side were in the same position as Jose Mourinho’s Man Utd.

    Manchester United’s 2-0 defeat at Tottenham on Wednesday left them trailing 15 points behind Guardiola’s City side at the top of the table with only 13 games left to play.

    Jose Mourinho admitted City are now uncatchable but he remains desperate to finish ahead of the chasing pack.

    Ahead of Man City’s game against Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday, Guardiola was asked if he would concede the title in Mourinho’s position.

    He replied: “No, I don’t think so. That is not going to happen.

    “We have shown even in our two defeats this season that we will try until the very end.

    “We play every game to give sense to what we are doing. I know the 15-point distance is quite big at the moment. It’s the same gap from six games ago.

    “In football and in sport anything can happen. You are good today but tomorrow you are bad.

    “The most important thing we have done is focus. In my experience until everything is done, you have to be prepared for anything to happen.”

  • Man Utd in talks to sign Arsenal forward, Jose Mourinho confirms

    Manchester United Jose Mourinho has confirmed the club are in talks to sign Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez and that he is “calmly waiting for news”.

    Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has said it is “likely” the Chile international will join their Premier League rivals.

    United midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan is expected to be included in any deal and has not been selected to face Burnley.

    “There is no point in trying to hide or deny, but it is not done at all,” said Mourinho.

    “I think clearly everybody knows that we are there and especially when Arsenal manager speaks so clearly like he did.”

    Sanchez, 29, is out of contract in June and is thought to have agreed personal terms with the Old Trafford club.

    Mourinho says he has not be involved in any of the negotiations for Sanchez and Mkhitaryan.

    “I like to be out, I am out and I will just calmly wait for news, no more than that,” he added.

    Manchester City decided not to pursue their interest in signing Sanchez due to the cost of the deal.

    It is understood the wages being demanded by Sanchez would have put him ahead of all City’s star players, something the club decided they would not do.

    “I am not the guy with the mathematics,” said City boss Pep Guardiola. “I think he’s going to United. Congratulations to both of them.

    “The players and the managers decide what’s best. There’s nothing to add. My opinion on Alexis remains the same. It was a pleasure to be with him in Barcelona – I wish him all the best.”

    Mourinho coy on new contract

    Meanwhile, United are close to reaching an agreement with Mourinho over a new contract to extend his Old Trafford stay beyond 2019.

    But the 55-year-old refused to confirm the talks, adding: “My contract ends July 2019, so plenty of time to speak.

    “I know that the club is happy and the owners, the board are happy, they know I am happy and when that’s the case one day we decide to do something we will do it easily, but plenty of time.”

    BBC Sports

  • Conte continues war of words with Mourinho: “I won’t forget this”

    After he hit out at Jose Mourinho who seemed to suggest some of his rivals were “clowns” on the sidelines when speaking last week, Conte took exception to that and said that Mourinho had “senile dementia” as he always acted like this in the past.

    Then came then next public spat as Mourinho hit back on Friday and said he would “never be banned for match fixing” when speaking of Conte’s past charges in Italy, to which Conte responded on Saturday by saying Mourinho was a “fake, little man” and always would be.

    Speaking to the media ahead of Chelsea’s League Cup first leg against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, Conte refused to let his war of words with Mourinho go.

    “Do I have the face that looks like I regret it? I don’t think so,” Conte said. “But we have both said things and we will see what happens in future. Just to add… He is using serious words. I won’t forget this. This isn’t a problem between the clubs. It’s between me and him. I stop.”

    The Italian coach also confirmed that the League Managers Associations (LMA) have yet to get involved, with the situation spiraling out of control.

    With Conte and Mourinho clashing on the sidelines at Stamford Bridge last season (Chelsea were winning 4-0 against Mourinho’s Manchester United on his first trip back to Chelsea after being fired in December 2016, with Conte firing the crowd up even more) this has been bubbling up for quite some time.

    Given the fact that Mourinho is the most successful manager in Chelsea’s history and Conte then turned up and won a title in his first season, with largely the same squad Mourinho had heading into a relegation battle in 2015-16, the subplots are numerous.

    Mourinho (who didn’t directly name the current boss when making the “clown on the sidelines” comments) has suckered Conte in and the Italian has not only taken the bait, he’s trying to devour Mourinho.

    Let’s see what the master of the dark arts has to say when he speaks to the media ahead of United’s clash with Stoke City next Monday.

    Right now Mourinho is on a warm weather training trip with United in Dubai but there’s no doubt he’s already crafting his response to get under Conte’s skin once again.

    NBCSports

  • You’re a “little man’’, Chelsea’s Conte berates Mourinho

    Chelsea manager Antonio Conte continued his ongoing feud with Jose Mourinho on Saturday by calling the Manchester United manager “a little man”.

    Mourinho made a pointed comment about match-fixing during the week, a reference to the four-month suspension Conte was handed in the 2012/2013 season.

    His offence was his failure to report match-fixing at his previous club Siena.

    He was later cleared by an Italian court of any wrongdoing.

    “I think when you try to hurt a person, especially if you know very well the truth of what happens, the court proved my innocence.

    “When you do this it means you are a little man,” Conte said after Chelsea’s 0-0 FA Cup third-round draw at Championship side Norwich City.

    “But this is the not the first time. He does this in the past and he continues to do this in the present.”

    Mourinho and Conte have never been friends but their relationship deteriorated this week after Mourinho spoke about some managers behaving “like a clown” on the touchline.

    This was taken as a reference to Conte and Liverpool’s Juergen Klopp.

    In response on Friday, the Chelsea manager accused the Portuguese of “senile dementia”, which led to Mourinho saying he had not mentioned any names.

    “This is his way, it is no surprise. We all know him,” Conte said. “Life will go on, I‘m not worried about him.”

    Conte refused to criticise his players after making nine changes for the match against Norwich.

    “It’s a bit frustrating. We knew the difficulty of the game. When you play away in this competition it’s not easy,” he said.

    “In the first half we had difficulty to attack but in the second half we created chances to score.

    “Norwich deserve to have another game. For us it’s not simple to add another game in the schedule. These are the rules though.”

  • Mourinho apologises to Mkhitaryan for ‘unfair’ half-time hook

    Jose Mourinho has apologised to Henrikh Mkhitaryan for unfairly hauling him off at half-time during Manchester United’s FA Cup clash with Derby County.

    The Red Devils offered their Armenian playmaker a rare start in a third-round meeting with the Rams at Old Trafford.

    Mkhitaryan has struggled for game time of late, with a tumble down the pecking order having sparked talk of a possible transfer during the January window.

    Mourinho’s actions against Derby have further fuelled that speculation, with the United manager admitting that he was wrong to give a 28-year-old talent short on match sharpness just 45 minutes.

    The Portuguese, who saw Romelu Lukaku grab the second goal in a 2-0 win having replaced Mkhitaryan at the break, told reporters: “[It was] unfair [to take Mkhitaryan off] and I told him that at half-time.

    “I didn’t like what I did. He didn’t deserve it, he was playing well, he wasn’t playing bad.

    “He had a couple of missed passes but he was playing well and giving a good dynamic to the team.

    “My feeling was just that [Marcus] Rashford is not going to score a goal and because of that I’m not going to lose time and I’m going to play Romelu, so then I had to sacrifice a player.

    “Mkhi was the one that I sacrificed but it’s something that I don’t normally do but I did at half-time and apologised to him in front of other people because he didn’t deserve it.”

    Mkhitaryan also failed to see the game out in his last start, against Southampton on December 30.

    He has struggled to convince Mourinho of his worth of late, with his value having been questioned on the back of a dip in form.

    “I was not happy with his last performances,” Mourinho said in November. “I’m not speaking about one or two, I’m speaking about three, four or five.”

    The former Borussia Dortmund midfielder had opened the 2017-18 campaign in some style, with a flurry of assists, but his contribution has started to wane after being given less of an opportunity to make an impression.

    Goal.com

  • Man Utd manager, Jose Mourinho says he wants to stay at the club

    Man Utd manager, Jose Mourinho says he wants to stay at the club

    Jose Mourinho has branded claims he is ready to leave Manchester United at the end of the season as “garbage”.

    Mourinho is in discussions over a new contract but it has been claimed he is so unhappy at Old Trafford that he is ready to walk away.

    His commitment has also been questioned as he continues to live in a hotel rather than move into his own house.

    “I say garbage. I don’t find a better word than to define the talk,” Mourinho said.

    “The worst thing someone can do is put one inch of doubt into my professionalism, to every detail related to my job, so yes the garbage news affected me just on this aspect because it’s something I don’t admit.

    “I repeat I am in the middle of my contract, if I am going to sign a new one it depends on the club but my commitment is total and I want to stay.”

    Mourinho, whose current deal does not expire until 2019, is in the second year of a three-year contract.

    It is understood detailed conversations have taken place between United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward and Mourinho’s advisers over extending his stay at Old Trafford.

    “I see myself here,” added Mourinho. “It is just a question of the club, the board the owners, Mr Woodward, they are all happy with my contribution and they want me to stay beyond the end of this contract.”

    The Portuguese also addressed his apparent unhappiness at his present situation.

    “Because I don’t behave as a clown on the touchline? It means I lost my passion?” said the 54-year-old.

    “I prefer to do it the way I do it, much more mature, better for my team and myself, you don’t have to behave like a crazy guy on the touchline.

    “The way a person is dedicated to his work, not what you do in front of the cameras.”

    It is thought that sources inside Manchester United have been bewildered by speculation over Mourinho’s future.

    They remain adamant that Mourinho is happy at Old Trafford, despite obvious frustration at being 15 points adrift of a Manchester City side managed by his old rival Pep Guardiola.

    United beat Everton 2-0 in their most recent match but drew three games – against Leicester, Burnley and Southampton – over the Christmas period.

    Club sources, however, believe that Mourinho remains a jovial figure at United’s Carrington training complex and dispute a claim that he has become withdrawn and rarely speaks to staff.

    In addition, they say whilst Mourinho does travel down to his home in London, where his family still live, the United boss is present on the training ground whenever the first team is there – unlike Sir Alex Ferguson, who in his latter years was not averse to missing the odd session.

    Mourinho has made his feelings known both inside and outside the club that more needs to be spent on his squad to make it competitive.

    However, inside Old Trafford this has been viewed as an observation the squad Mourinho inherited was inferior to that of Manchester City, rather than an outright attack on the money he has been given during his 18 months in charge.

    Mourinho evidently wants to strengthen his squad, although United have already told Inter Milan they are not willing to enter into a loan agreement for Armenian midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan and would only consider a straight sale.

    However, Inter are not in a position to buy Mkhitaryan outright because of Financial Fair Play restrictions imposed by Uefa.

    Relations between the clubs became strained in the summer during United’s attempt to sign Ivan Perisic.

  • Ibrahimovic sidelined for a month with knee injury

    Ibrahimovic sidelined for a month with knee injury

    Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be sidelined for a month with a knee injury, manager Jose Mourinho said on Saturday.

    The former Sweden international was not in Saturday’s squad as Mourinho’s men were held to a 0-0 stalemate by Southampton at Old Trafford — United’s third successive draw.

    Ibrahimovic was re-signed by United in the summer, having departed the club at the end of last season.

    He overcame meniscus and cruciate ligament damage to return to action in late November.

    However, Mourinho, who saw Romelu Lukaku carried off on a stretcher during Saturday’s Premier League encounter against Southampton, said Ibrahimovic is set for another injury layoff.

    “We lost Ibrahimovic for a month, he stops his run to recovery, he has been running for many months, what he needs is to play,” Mourinho said.