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Tag: Mourinho

  • Man Utd v Man City: Jose Mourinho on Pep Guardiola’s ‘political message’

    Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho does not think he would be allowed to make a political statement on the touchline like Manchester City counterpart Pep Guardiola.

    Guardiola has recently worn a yellow ribbon – a symbol of protest against the imprisonment of pro-independence politicians in the Spanish region of Catalonia.

    He dedicated City’s Champions League win over Napoli last month to the campaigners.

    Mourinho said: “If the rules allow us to do that, he is a free citizen. My doubt is if the rules allow any political message on the pitch.

    “I don’t think I would be allowed to.”

    Guardiola and Mourinho, who meet in the Manchester derby at Old Trafford on Sunday, have been rivals since the former was Barcelona boss and the latter was at Real Madrid between 2010 and 2012.

    If City win Sunday’s game it will be their 14th league victory in a row – a record in a single Premier League season.

    Guardiola, who was born in the Catalan region, has worn the ribbons to show his support for eight government members jailed for their part in an independence referendum the Spanish government ruled was illegal on 1 October.

    Speaking last month, he said: “We cannot ignore that these politicians or activists, who haven’t hurt anyone, are in prison for asking to vote.

    “Many things have happened but it’s all because we wanted to vote, because we wanted a legal referendum.”

    In 2015, Uefa fined Barcelona £21,250 after their fans unfurled pro-independence banners at the Champions League final in Berlin.

    Eighteen years earlier, European football’s governing body fined Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler £900 for revealing a shirt showing support for sacked dockworkers in the city.

    Uefa changed its regulations before this season so only offensive messages are now considered illicit.

    Last year, the Football Associations of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland were fined by Fifa for displaying poppies during World Cup qualifiers.

  • Guardiola says he and Mourinho are like twins

    Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho have enjoyed a rivalry, in Spain and England, that has at times been acrimonious but the Manchester City manager believes they have something in common.

    The Spaniard believes that when it comes to the desire to win trophies they are identical.

    “Definitely. In that, we are twins,” said Guardiola when asked, ahead of Sunday’s derby clash, if he was as obsessed with winning as his United and former Real Madrid counterpart.

    “They want to win trophies, we want to win trophies.

    “I think Antonio Conte is the same as well, and Juergen (Klopp) and Mauricio (Pochettino), and in all the leagues around the world, the managers are (like that),” the former FC Barcelona manager added.

    “I never criticise my colleagues for the way they play. I never did in the past, I will never do it.

    “Football is magnificent for that, because every manager plays in the way they play. There are different ways to enjoy football. It’s simple like that,” he said.

    Keeping it simple is Guardiola’s mantra ahead of the highly anticipated derby.

    Although City head to Old Trafford with an eight-point lead over their local rivals, the Spaniard is determined that his team keep their focus.

    Their focus, he said, will be on doing what they have done so well this season — playing their style of possession football.

    “The big challenge is to play good, to try to control the start point. It’s hard, because it’s United at Old Trafford. We want to try to play our game.

    “The focus is going there relaxed and knowing that if we don’t win the individual duels, it will be almost impossible to beat them,” Guardiola said.

    “We will try to play well, to play good football, what we have done, to be what we are. So I would like to finish the game and go to the locker room and feel we were what we have been for the season.

    “As for the result, nobody knows what is going to happen. We will try to find the best way to play well and to win the game,” he said.

    While a victory would send City 11 points clear ahead of the festive season, Guardiola has little time for the notion that the game could be a title decider.

    “Winning, drawing or losing on Sunday, we are not going to win or lose the English Premier League. It’s December,” he said.

    “It’s an important game, because it’s United. You can get points and deny your opponent points. But it’s the same for them.

    “I am not going into the game thinking: OK, we have an eight-point lead. What do I have to do because we have an eight-point lead? The Premier League is a marathon. We haven’t even arrived at the halfway stage yet.

    “There are a lot of points to play for, more than 70. We just focus on the game, and the result, and then after, recovery and then thinking about Swansea three days later.

    “It’s simple like that. It’s about going there and doing our game. That is what I want to see from my players.”

  • Teams will not be happy to face Man Utd says Mourinho

    Jose Mourinho says teams will not be “jumping with happiness” if they are drawn to face Manchester United in the Champions League knockout stage after his side beat CSKA Moscow to win their group.

    United had to come from behind to secure their place in the last 16 of the competition – the first time they have progressed that far since David Moyes was in charge in 2014.

    Victory at Old Trafford ensured Mourinho’s team finished above second-placed Basel in Group A with 15 points from their six games.

    “I think it does not matter which team we get in the draw,” said the Portuguese manager.

    “I am not the luckiest guy with draws so it is better I shut up and forget it because we only play in February. Until then I have to concentrate on the English competitions.

    “I think that teams will not be jumping with happiness to play against us. I don’t think so.

    “I am really happy because we don’t want to qualify with a defeat and we don’t want to qualify with a bad performance so the objective was to qualify playing well.”

  • Mourinho hits out at Arsenal, Koscielny after Man United win

    Mourinho didn’t park the bus away from home against a top four rival like he usually does, but he had David De Gea to thank as Arsenal had 15 shots on target and 75 percent of the possession but were caught out but ruthless United counter attacks on three killer occasions.

    United’s Portuguese boss was not happy with Arsenal and accused them of diving to try and win penalty kicks and made a sly remark about Alexandre Lacazette‘s fitness, as well as hitting out at Laurent Koscielny for his part in getting Paul Pogba sent off in the second half.

    Speaking to reporters after the game, Mourinho was asked if he was upset with Arsenal appealing for multiple penalty kicks as he lambasted their “desire to go to the grass” with the most obvious situation coming in the second half as Danny Welbeck appeared to be scythed down by Matteo Darmian in the box.

    “Look if it is not a penalty, it is not a penalty. I know the pitch is amazing and maybe it creates a desire to go to the floor. If it was hard, no. If it was mud, no. But the pitch is absolutely beautiful. I think they were a bit too much,” Mourinho said.
    He then made a point of congratulating both medical departments with his tongue firmly placed in his cheek.

    Ahead of the game Arsene Wenger, Mourinho’s arch nemesis over the years, had declared that Lacazette was completely out of the game. He started, scored Arsenal’s goal and played a full 90 minutes.

    “I don’t want to forget my congratulations to both medical departments. My medical department managed to recover [Nemanja] Matic from a maybe to a yes. But Arsenal’s medical department managed to recover a player from a no to a complete 90. Amazing. I congratulate them all.”

    Mourinho also hit out at Arsenal’s center back and captain Koscielny, who was at fault for two of United’s three goals and could have been sent off late on for hauling down Romelu Lukaku when he appeared to be the last man.

    His beef with Koscielny was how he reacted to try and get Pogba sent off following a studs up challenge on Hector Bellerin. Mourinho said that Pogba was far from impressed with his international teammate for the way he reacted.

    “The red card, I didn’t see. I was not even looking in that direction. No television yet for me. I know that Paul is frustrated. A bit disappointed with his colleague Koscielny with this kind of reaction,” Mourinho said. “Paul is frustrated because everybody knows that Paul is a clean player and it was not his intention, not at all, to be close to a red card.”

    Asked what kind of message this result (it is Mourinho’s first win as United managed in eight attempts against one of the so-called “top six” since he arrived at United) he downplayed the importance of closing the gap to Manchester City, momentarily, to five points.

    “No message. We are second in the table. We win four games in the Premier League, two at home, two away. The two away difficult teams Watford and Arsenal. We managed to win and win well and to play well. I am just happy,” Mourinho said. “There is no message. There is match after match. Now it’s on to CSKA.”

    Everything is set up for a blockbuster clash between United and City next Sunday in the Manchester derby but without the suspended Pogba and a shaky defense bailed out by David de Gea, Mourinho will still have plenty on his mind besides Arsenal’s supposed simulation.

  • Mourinho compared to Floyd Mayweather by Gary Neville

    Gary Neville has compared Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho to undefeated boxer Floyd Mayweather, given that their defence-first approach draws unfair criticism given that it produces success.

     

    Neville revealed both Manchester United boss, Jose Mourinho who he likened to boxer Floyd Mayweather uses defence as a weapon.

     

    The former United full-back, Neville insists defending well is just as much of an art as thrilling attacking football, and made the comparison between the Portuguese coach and former world champion Mayweather, who won multiple titles across several weight divisions with his patient, pragmatic approach in the ring.

     

    United have the best defensive record in the Premier League having conceded just four times all season and also have not conceded a goal at home in the league since April.

     

    Mourinho’s style of football has been questioned following a goalless draw with Liverpool and a narrow 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur.

     

    Neville told Sky Sport, “But Mourinho is a little bit like Mayweather at times. Mayweather is called boring at times, where he uses defence as a weapon, let’s people punch themselves out.”

  • Mourinho declares Lukaku is untouchable

    Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has hailed “untouchable” frontman Romelu Lukaku.

    The £75m summer signing from Everton, 24, scored 11 goals in his first 10 games

    Mourinho said, “Romelu is untouchable in my team and should also be in terms of the support from the fans,” he told the press ahead of a Tuesday night Champions League meeting with Benfica.

    “I think Romelu is one of the players who should be untouchable in terms of respect from everyone.”

    “He’s playing extremely well for us.

    The Red Devil boss also backed the striker’s performance saying, “What he does for the team is fantastic and to play football for a striker is not just about scoring goals”.

     

  • ‘I have no idea when Pogba will be fit’ says Mourinho

    Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho said he has “no idea’’ when record signing Paul Pogba will be fit again after the French midfielder suffered a hamstring injury.

    The France player had sustained the injury in a UEFA Champions League tie against Basel early in September.

    The 24-year-old, who cost 89 million pounds last year —- a world record at the time —- played only a handful of games this season before being sidelined.

    “Paul is not here, I don’t know when he comes back, when he’s available, I’ve no idea,” Mourinho told a news conference ahead of his team’s Saturday’s visit to Huddersfield Town.

    He hopes Zlatan Ibrahimovic will return by the end of the year, however.

    The Portuguese also has better news of Marcus Rashford, who is fit in spite of coming off during the midweek Champions League win over Benfica with a knee injury.

    United will be looking to make history by keeping an eighth clean sheet in the opening nine league games of the season.

    No other team has achieved that in the top division of English football.

    Mourinho was criticised for a defensive approach in last weekend’s dull goalless draw at Liverpool.

    Stoke City are the only side to score, in a 2-2 draw, against Mourinho’s team in eight Premier League games.

    Earlier in the season, United appeared to be recapturing the adventurous style historically associated with the club.

    They won 4-0 four times against lowly opposition but have since been outscored by neighbours Manchester City, who now lead them by two points at the top of the table.

    The game at Huddersfield is the first meeting between the clubs since 1972 and the Yorkshire side have not won one since 20 years before that, in March 1952.

    After a good start, Huddersfield have not won a Premier League game for two months, but Mourinho insisted that his team will know what to expect from a newly promoted club.

    “We are silly if we don’t know what is waiting for us,” he said.

    “Everybody knows the Premier League and knows what it means to play against newly promoted teams.

    “Every team in the Premier League is good and thinks they can win every match against every opponent.

    “The players will be buzzing and the supporters will be happy to have a big club playing in their stadium.”

  • Mourinho’s father buried in Portugal [PHOTOS]

    Jose Mourinho said an emotional goodbye to his father Felix on Tuesday morning as he attended his funeral in Setubal, Portugal.

    He passed away at the age of 79 on Sunday, after a battle with illness.

    A church service was held upon Mourinho’s arrival in Portugal on Tuesday and the Manchester United manager was seen carrying the coffin into the church.

    The coffin was draped with the flags of the two clubs Felix played for – Vitoria Setubal and Belenenses.

    Hundreds of mourners lined the streets of Setubal for the service.

    Mourinho, who was joined by his wife and daughter – Matilde, was consoled by mourners outside the church.

  • Mourinho received £8.3m pay-off from Chelsea

    Mourinho received £8.3m pay-off from Chelsea

     

    Chelsea paid Jose Mourinho and his backroom staff £8.3million, after he was sacked as manager in December 2015.

    This was revealed in the club’s full accounts for the 2015/2016 season.

    Despite a record turnover of £329.1m and a £49m profit on player trading, the Stamford Bridge outfit posted a £70.6m loss.

    The reason for this, is that the club paid kit supplier Adidas £67m in compensation for cancelling a 10-year deal six years early, so they could sign a bigger deal with Nike.

    Chelsea also finished 10th in the Premier League and had no cup success, which means they did not earn any prize monies.

  • Mourinho hails Pogba, says he is best midfielder in the world

    Mourinho hails Pogba, says he is best midfielder in the world

    Manchester United manager, Jose Mourinho, has hailed Paul Pogba as the best midfielder in the world.

    The Portuguese was speaking after their 3-1 win over Sunderland at Old Trafford on Monday.

    Daley Blind, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored for United, as they romped to a Boxing Day win.

    Pogba nearly provided United with the lead in the 27th minute following a one-two with Jesse Lingard, but his effort went wide.

    His overall contribution was enough to earn praise from his manager afterwards.

    “He is the best midfielder in the world,” Mourinho simply said.