MOURINHO: LIVERPOOL ARE LUCKY
‘United will be a tough game, but we’re playing better football’
City did not start to run away with a lead at the top of the Premier League. When you add in that everything happened right at the end of the game. It was a very big moment.”
Klopp has promised that kind of extreme reaction only comes around “once every 10 years” and we may not see it again against United, no mat- ter what the score. But Firmino is clear how the players felt when they saw their boss’s celebration.
“What happened showed that we are very close as players and coach,” Firmino said.
“The manager is very open with us and our reactions show what we think of him, too. We are together in good and bad times.
“That makes him special and very close to the players. Even before he came to Liverpool I heard very good reports about him and he has proved it in his training sessions. He helps you to believe in yourself and the team and he helps you improve. He is very passionate.”
On the pitch, there’s no doubt that Liverpool will be big favourites against United today – given that they stand a whopping 16 points ahead of their old rivals. But Firmino says the positions in the table make no difference when it comes to a big match in front of the Kop. He said: “This year we are above them and that’s good but it also means we cannot afford to lose or to let them cause a surprise. “I expected United to be higher than they are this season. But they have lost a lot of points and that means they have been left behind in the fight for the title. That’s football. But a game against United will still always be a tough match. We already know that it will not be easy.”
Liverpool have only finished above United in three of the 26 seasons of the Premier League. But even Firmino had to admit it would take something of a disaster for them not to achieve that bragging right again in 2019, if nothing else.
“Right now Liverpool are above Manchester United and I think we are playing better than them,” he insisted. If nothing strange happens in the season we will finish above them. But you cannot afford to think ahead too much.
“We know where we want to be. Right now, I think Liverpool are in a good place – and very soon the titles will be coming.” Milan. A 96th minute winner in the Mersey derby after a mistake by Everton keeper Jordan Pickford was followed by an opening goal at Bournemouth which showed Mo Salah offside.
Then, in the closing moments of the win or bust Champions League clash with Napoli last week, £66.8million goalkeeper Alisson blocked a shot that would have condemned Liverpool to the Europa League if it had gone in.
Says Mourinho: “Liverpool are very confident about themselves.
“They are top of the league, they have this feeling of – and I know that feeling well – the feeling of the “lucky ones” where everything goes in your direction.
“They know how they beat Everton, they know that the last match at Bournemouth the opening goal was offside, and they know that against Napoli in the last seconds they could be out.
“They have this feeling – that I also had when my teams were top of the league and it looks like everything goes in your direction.” United are off the title pace with five draws and four defeats in 16 League games and struggling with defensive injuries but Mourinho has revealed he’ll be “happy” if red-hot favourites Liverpool take victory for granted.
“I think Liverpool are obviously very, very confident. But I think they are not stupid. I think they also know the match they have with us is difficult,” said the United boss.
“They also know that we have our weaknesses, our strengths, and I think they will respect our strengths.
“They know that they need every point if they want to be champions. “They know that we can go there and win.”