We used to laugh with Jose ...but he’s not so funny now

DURING the peak years of Liverpool’s rivalry with Chelsea, we ensured that we never missed the opportunity to watch Jose Mourinho’s press conferences. Quite often, he’d have us laughing with the things he said. None of us ever took his attempts to wind us up seriously. We thought it was hilarious and loved the build-up to all those big matches — you could tell Mourinho did too. That was his stage and he had people eating out the palm of his hand. I had to think back to what he was like in the mid-2000s after I saw him lashing out after Tottenham had beaten Manchester United on Monday. There is nothing funny about the tone he has taken now and it all seems like it is getting personal to the point of being nasty. It has been a difficult start to the season, to put it mildly, but I honestly don’t think the situation is as desperate as some are saying. We are in a game of fine margins and if Romelu Lukaku had taken his chance in the first half, I think United may have attacked less and made it more difficult for Spurs to create. It could have been a different game. The game wasn’t as one-sided as a 3-0 defeat suggests and I don’t think it means United are out of the race to finish in the top four, either. Look at their squad again and you can see the amount of quality they can call on. Once they start winning — which they will — United will be in among it. What I would say, though, is that it can be a bit demoralising for everyone at a club if you are expected to challenge for the title and lose early ground. The way Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham are collecting wins, you can see the title winners having another huge points tally. Every false step, no matter how early, makes it even more difficult to become champions. Perhaps this explains why Jose is in such a dark mood.