MOURINHO MELTDOWN
JOSE MOURINHO claimed he was still the best manager in the Premier League after his team were humbled by Tottenham at Old Trafford. Despite suffering the worst home defeat of his whole career and admitting afterwards that he doesn’t know what his team’s best defensive line-up is, the united manager made the peculiar claim that his team had played well. At the end of a heated post-match press conference, Mourinho turned on his critics by holding up three fingers to represent the number of Premier League titles he once won with Chelsea.
Mourinho said: ‘Do you know what was the result? 3-0. But what this [three fingers] also means? it also means three Premier Leagues and i won more alone than the other 19 managers together. Me three, them two. So respect, respect, respect.’ What Mourinho’s show of braggadocio will mean to united supporters fed up with sub- standard performances under his management is open to debate. But the manager also issued a call to arms to the Stretford End after making his way over to the home fans and applauding them at the end.
‘Our fans don’t read papers, all our fans don’t watch television,’ he said. ‘All our fans are more intelligent than that. They answered in an absolutely amazing way. i don’t think it’s normal to lose a game at home and the supporters to react the way they did.
‘My message was the same message that the supporters gave to the players. When you play the way you play, when you create what you create, when we miss the chances that we missed, when at half-time everybody was frustrated but totally convinced that was going to win the match, then it is OK.
‘i’m really happy, humbled by the way the supporters reacted to the boys. i think it was very much deserved but sometimes players don’t get what they deserve.’
he later added: ‘i don’t consider this a difficult time.’
united were, indeed, the better team in the first half but fell apart once harry Kane gave Tottenham the lead early in the second period. Mourinho started the game with a back three that included midfielder Ander herrera. And it was when he was asked if he knew what his best defence was that Mourinho’s post-match mood turned sour.
‘no,’ he said. ‘Because in the first game it was Lindelof and Bailly, now Jones and Smalling but now Jones is injured and the next match will be Smalling with another one, and when rojo comes back he will be an option and i don’t know my best back four.
‘But you want to make the miracle of my team playing so well and strategically we were so, so good and you want to try and transform this press conference into “let’s blame the guy”.
‘You have to tell me what is the most important thing. When i win matches i come here many times and you are not happy and you say the most important (thing) is the way of playing. So i need to know what is the most important thing — to play well or win matches?
‘ Today we were aggressive, we pressed high and Tottenham couldn’t make two passes coming from the back. They have one corner and score a goal and with that goal you want to transform the story of your game. The best judge in football are the supporters, they are the best supporters.’
Asked about some fans leaving early, Mourinho stayed on the offensive.
‘i’d do the same if we were losing 3-0 and it had taken two hours from here to the centre of Manchester,’ he said. ‘We lost last season here against Sevilla and were booed because we deserved it, and today the players left the pitch and were applauded because they deserved it. So keep trying, keep trying … keep trying.’
Mourinho has simmered with ill-disguised anger this season after not receiving the new players he wanted.
But he said: ‘The market is closed. There is no market until January 1. i’ve said what i need to say, and i won’t say another word about that. Anyone who watched this game, one thing they know for sure is the team is united. The boys don’t give everything they gave if the team isn’t united. i think it’s time to stop with untruths. There’s no union without the manager.’
Spurs are second to Liverpool in the Premier League table after Mauricio Pochettino’s first win at Old Trafford.
Kane said: ‘ We’re trying to create our own history. We’re not a club who have been the top of the League winning titles like united and Chelsea.
‘We’ve been doing well but we’ve not quite got there. We’ve got the hunger and desire to take the club to the next level. For us, it’s about building on what we’ve been doing for the last four of five years. We’ve got so much belief in each other.
‘You’re not going to play well every game, but we stuck together and we kept going. The gaffer said he’s not going to bring players in for the sake of it. he believes in this squad and that’s a huge bonus for us. We have to prove him right and prove the club right as well.’
Pochettino said: ‘it is a massive victory for us and i am very proud of the performance. it is difficult to beat Manchester united at Old Trafford. They were better in the first half but we dominated from then on, and the clean sheet was a bonus. it is only the start of the season and we need to be consistent.’