Battle with Blues is nothing special to me, claims Mourinho
JOSE MOURINHO says he feels no ‘ emotion’ over Manchester United’s clash with Chelsea at Old Trafford tomorrow despite two explosive meetings with his old club already this season.
Mourinho turned on Antonio Conte at Stamford Bridge in October, accusing the Chelsea manager of trying to ‘ humiliate’ United with his overexuberant goal celebrations during a 4-0 win. It was the Portuguese coach’s heaviest Premier League defeat.
Mourinho was then taunted with chants of ‘Judas’ by home fans when FA Cup holders United were knocked out at the quarter- final stage at Chelsea last month and had midfielder Ander Herrera sent off.
The 54-year-old responded by holding up three fingers to represent the three titles he won at Chelsea and later said: ‘Until the moment they have a manager that wins four Premier Leagues for them, I’m the No 1. Until then, Judas is No 1.’
Ahead of their third meeting of the season, Mourinho was asked if tomorrow’s occasion would be just as emotional. He replied: ‘You say that word emotion. For me, it is just a game. One more game. No difference for me, not at all.’
Mourinho, who was sacked by Roman Abramovich for a second time 16 months ago, once again pointed out that Chelsea’s title challenge under Conte has been helped by their lack of involvement in Europe this season.
Tomorrow’s game will be United’s 53rd of the season compared to 39 for Chelsea.
And although the United boss acknowledged that Conte’s side are ‘strong’, he could not resist mentioning that their strength is built on defending in numbers.
‘First of all, some guys are fresh, some guys are tired — that’s very important in football,’ he added as United prepare to play again less than three days after their Europa League tie against Anderlecht in Belgium.
‘But, for some reason, they are top of the league. It’s not just because they are fresh. It’s also because they have individual quality and they have collective quality.
‘They have a certain style of play, they stick to it, they do it very well. Not every team defends with 11 players, and they defend with 11 players.
‘Not every team is so objective in their counter attacks. They are very objective in the counter-attack and they have individual players out of the context of the game that can also resolve the problems. So they are a very strong team.’
With away games to follow against Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham, United’s best chance of qualifying for next season’s Champions League still appears to be through Europe after their 1-1 quarter-final draw in Brussels.
However, midfielder Michael Carrick warned that they cannot take it for granted and must continue to push for a top-four finish in the Premier League.
Asked if tomorrow’s game is a chance for United to put down a marker for Chelsea for next season, Carrick said: ‘Forget about next season, we have enough to play for this season. We are not looking any further ahead than that.
‘The Premier League top-four is still an opportunity. People are saying that the Europa League is the best chance for us, but you cannot look at it like that.
‘A lot can happen. There is no way we can give up on the top four. Yes, we have a tough run in but it is still close.’
Carrick echoed Mourinho’s concerns over United’s failings in front of goal jeopardising their chances of success. The Anderlecht game was their 14th draw of the season.
‘The draws are killing us,’ he added. ‘In some ways you are better off losing one and winning one than doing what we have been doing and drawing so many.
‘We need to find a way to win games, especially when you are playing so well as we have done. We were bitterly disappointed coming off the pitch. When you are that close to a win and done so many good things it is frustrating.
‘We have got to be ruthless and have to finish games off. We have to find a way. It is close, we are getting better but we still have to find that way.’