Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
JOSE: I LOVE ALL OF MY PLAYERS
Mourinho changes his tune and turns on the charm for his squad now he knows there won’t be more major additions
HE has spent the summer casting shade on rival clubs’ spending, while in the process systematically seeming to destroy his own players.
Yet on the eve of the season, with only minor improvements to the fringes of his team, Jose Mourinho has a very different narrative about a squad he recently dismissed as ‘trying to survive and avoid ugly results.’ Perhaps with the realisation his aggressive, controversial tactics that appeared to devalue his players to force the United board to sign even more stars, simply hasn’t worked this time, the tune has changed dramatically.
Now it is about love. He goes into the season, he insisted, with great admiration for his men, and with the desire to work with them to chase down Manchester City, which he believes is still possible, despite making only two senior summer signings.
“I like my players and my group. I enjoyed last season, the fight to finish where we finished and to manage the best position this club has had in five years. I’m going to enjoy this season,” he said when asked about a squad he appeared to suggest wasn’t good enough in the summer.
“I like to work with my players, one lie repeated 1,000 times is still a lie, but the perception of people is it’s true.
“When you repeat 1,000 times my relationship with my players is not good, it’s a lie, repeated 1,000 times it still is.
“I know the words you want me to say or not to say. It depends on the music, but words don’t come easy.”
Mourinho knows his job is on the line this season. He has been around long enough to realise a manager spending more than £400million in three years is expected to deliver sooner rather than later.
Yet it has also been made clear to him the United board feel the days of shortterm fixes are over, and longterm planning – bringing in younger players with more potential – is the way forward, as Manchester City and Liverpool have demonstrated.
It is understood the board have refused point-blank to even consider sales of huge young talents like Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial because of their potential to improve even further. And that perhaps explains the manager’s more conciliatory tone yesterday.
He has frequently spoken harshly on both, but now sees them as being big players this season. Pogba, he says is: “Happy, proud, and has a desire to work.
“He worked amazingly well Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and he’s one of the players I have to speak to see how physically and mentally he feels.
“By the end of November or December you’ll see which teams are candidates to win the Premier League.” Martial may be a different story, with the transfer window open on the continent until the end of month, but according to
Mourinho, the only reason he has not joined the rest of the team is his pre-season has just begun.
“He had the first three or four days of training and the first couple of matches against the American team and the Mexican team where he played 40 or 50 minutes,” the manager explained.
“He had just three days of pre-season. He missed nine with no training, no football, nothing, so you go back and start with the other people.”
United face a tough test against Leicester without half their usual team, and a problem in the opening games.
For Mourinho, without the signings he tried to force, that is a huge test, and one he needs his squad to buy into, hence the diplomacy.