Jose’s got some cup qualms
LONDON — Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has admitted English soccer would be better off without the League Cup, just seven months after winning the competition.
Mourinho celebrated the first major silverware of his United reign when his team beat Southampton 3-2 at Wembley last season.
But after watching United kick off its defense of the trophy with a 4-1 win over second-tier strugglers Burton Albion at a well-below capacity Old Trafford on Wednesday, Mourinho conceded the tournament often does more harm than good.
The Portuguese showed where the League Cup ranks on his priority list by making nine changes as Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial scored United’s goals.
Even Burton boss Nigel Clough, more concerned with Championship survival, made nine changes to reduce the tie to virtual reserve-clash status.
The fact Burton views the early weeks of the league season as more important than a trip to Old Trafford highlights the issues with a competition that Mourinho believes could be dispensable.
“You know, if the competition is an official competition, it is important for Manchester United and for me as a manager and I want the players to think the same way,” Mourinho told the BBC.
“If you ask me could English football survive or even be better without this competition? Maybe.
“Maybe we would be fresher for European competitions, for example.
“But we have this competition, we have to respect, we have to respect the sponsors, we have to respect the opponents, we have to respect the professionalism of all of us trying to do the best.
“If we can win it, we win it. If we don’t win it is because the opponents were better than us.”
Mourinho has won the League Cup four times, including three with Chelsea, while United has lifted the trophy five times.
His criticism of a competition that has run since the 1960-61 season came on a night when Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal all went through to the last 16 despite fielding under-strength teams.
Rashford fired United into the fourth round as the holder crushed the Brewers 4-1, while City eased through with a 2-1 win at West Bromwich Albion on Wednesday.
City and United, currently first and second in the Premier League, took contrasting routes to the last 16, where they were joined by Chelsea, Arsenal and Everton.
Rashford took just five minutes to open the scoring with a deft finish and the England forward struck again in the 17th minute with a powerful effort.
Burton, which was a nonleague club until 2009 and is now 19th in the Championship, was killed off in the 36th minute when Jesse Lingard’s shot deflected in off Brewers defender Ben Turner.
United’s injury-jinxed leftback Luke Shaw came on for his first appearance since April before Anthony Martial scored the fourth from Rashford’s pass on the hour.
Lloyd Dyer got one back for the visitor in stoppage time.
At the Hawthorns, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola made eight changes from the 6-0 Premier League demolition of Watford, giving Yaya Toure his first start of the season, while Ilkay Gundogan, back from a serious knee injury, started for the first time since December.
It was from Gundogan’s saved shot that Leroy Sane slotted in City’s third-minute opener.
Gundogan was forced off with a knock in the second half before Claudio Yacob equalized for the Baggies in the 72nd minute, only for Germany winger Sane to produce a superb curling winner five minutes later.
Michy Batshuayi’s hat-trick helped Chelsea crush secondtier Nottingham Forest 5-1 at Stamford Bridge.
Antonio Conte made nine changes from Sunday’s 0-0 draw against Arsenal, with star playmaker Eden Hazard given his first start this term after recovering from ankle surgery.