This will raise a few eyebrows for sure.
It’s been a fairly miserable Christmas for Manchester United. Jose Mourinho’s side have been dumped out of the Carabao Cup by Bristol City, dropped two points after conceding a last-gasp equaliser against Leicester City and were unable to beat Burnley at Old Trafford on St Stephen’s Day.
With Manchester City steaming towards the Premier League title, Mourinho finds himself with the inescapable feeling that he will finish the season second-best to rival Pep Guardiola.
Following the draw with Burnley, Mourinho claimed that the €338million he has spent as United boss is ‘not enough.’
Mourinho says the £300m he has spent is 'not enough'. #mufc
— Samuel Luckhurst (@samuelluckhurst) December 26, 2017
Considering that United have flexed their financial muscle in recent transfer windows with the signings of Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku, it’s understandable that some will take exception to Mourinho’s comment, especially those who support a club operating on a much tighter budget (Burnley being a solid example).
Guardiola has spent more at City but many people were quick to point out that Lukaku has, who cost United €90m, has been under-performing, while the City boss has gotten better displays out of his recruits.
Mourinho also drew attention to City spending lavishly on three full-backs in the summer, with Guardiola bringing in Kyle Walker, Benjamin Mendy and Danilo to replace Bacary Sagna, Aleksandar Kolarov and Gael Clichy, who all left the club in the summer.
“Manchester City are buying full-backs for the price of strikers! The price for big clubs are different to the price for other clubs. The boys are doing what they can, they are doing fine. 8 pts from 15? Last 2 matches we had 15 chances and conceded three shit goals.”
The United boss also suggested that the pressure to land the league crown is more intense at United than it would be at Chelsea, Arsenal or Tottenham because of United’s history, even though two of those other three clubs have won multiple Premier League titles.
“When you talk about responsibility to win the PL, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham don’t have this responsibility. We have it, because of the history of this club.”
Mourinho’s post-match remarks have, unsurprisingly, sparked a strong reaction.
Mourinho on near £300m spend in his two summers at Man Utd: "It's not enough." #MUFC @MirrorFootball
— David McDonnell (@DiscoMirror) December 26, 2017
Mourinho: “One thing is a big club, another is a big football team, we are in the second year of trying to rebuild a football team that is not one of the best in the world.” #MUFC
— Tom McDermott (@MrTomMcDermott) December 26, 2017
Jose Mourinho: "Manchester City spend on full-backs what most teams spend on strikers."
😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/lmC7yYoOiE
— Free Super Tips (@FootySuperTips) December 26, 2017
Mourinho says United guilty of conceding too many "s goals". Says he needs more money to compete with City who "buy full-backs for the price of strikers" and United are a big club but it's "not a big team".
— Rob Dawson (@RobDawsonESPN) December 26, 2017
https://twitter.com/Kloppholic/status/945703220038569985
Mourinho: “We are in the second year of trying to rebuild a team. £300m is not enough. City buy full backs for the price of a striker.” Ever tried coaching? The audacity of the prick.
— FK (@fkhanage) December 26, 2017
https://twitter.com/RichardThorburn/status/945712277155655682
