Another Jose Mourinho press conference, another insult to Man United fans.
The Premier League’s most successful club, the big-money spenders and the company with the highest wage bill in England went down the road to their biggest rivals and left with their arses gift-wrapped like some leftover cake at a birthday party handed to them to take home.
And the manager isn’t surprised. Why would he be? In his third season, he’s happy to accept that Liverpool are a far superior side than the one he has put together and coached and he’s content that sixth place in the league is a fair reflection of the work he has done.
So, in a 10-minute press conference following the flattering 3-1 defeat and following a second half where United looked like they were set up to not even counter attack out of pure fear and energy-saving priority, Mourinho really made a bigger ug out of anyone still spewing the idea that he’s one of the best managers in the world. Maybe he was. Maybe he is in another job. But this is just pathetic now.
He’s happy with the players
The players tried. He can’t fault them for their effort. The sub-text is that they’re shit and there’s no way they can be expected to compete with the might of Liverpool.
Andy Robertson
Mourinho said he was still tired from watching Robertson running up and down the left channel. He noted that the Scotsman was doing 100-metre sprints every minute.
Liverpool’s aggression
He also said the Liverpool players were 200 miles per hour with and without the ball and it’s hard to deal with. So even if his players were trying, they obviously weren’t trying enough.
Porto
Remember when I was special?
Mourinho was so impressed with Liverpool that he compared them to his Porto side and commented that he could set a team up that way too, 15 years ago. He said the sides are similar, “mad dogs” getting the ball back.
Real Madrid
He boasted how they were his best counter-attacking team. He actually bragged about counter-attacking with Real Madrid and, audaciously, tried to take some managerial credit for being able to beat teams with Di Maria, Ronaldo and Benzema.
Inter
I think this was to show his tactical flexibility because he harped on about the Inter side that he had and set up in a deeper fashion. The point was that when he gets to bring in the players he wants to, he’s class.
It’s just a shame he spent £50m on Fred when he was obviously so desperate for a centre half and he couldn’t find one second of game time for Pogba, his most expensive signing, when the team were getting absolutely hammered at Anfield. He spent all that money on the French man, he watched him dominate the World Cup in the summer and he can’t find room for him in a team that he’s coming out and saying is shite. And then he’s complaining that Ed Woodward only gave him over £370m in five transfer windows so far.
Pogba
So he was asked about Paul Pogba at the very end but he wasn’t keen to stick around and he certainly didn’t feel the need to elaborate too much.
The simple question was about Pogba not playing and if Mourinho had any thoughts on it.
“No,” he replied.
Why, came the next question.
“Because I am happy with Matic, Lingard and Herrera.”
