MOUR:I WANT FOUR
Jose plans to equal cup record set by Fergie and Clough... and usher in new era of Reds glory
JOSE MOURINHO insists Manchester United are just as hungry as Southampton for EFL Cup glory.
The Saints have won a solitary trophy in their history, compared to the 66 accumulated by United and 23 amassed by Mourinho during his managerial career.
But the Portuguese dismissed the notion Southampton will have a greater desire to win at Wembley, even though the EFL Cup is the last trophy on United’s priority list.
“If they want it more than us, they win, so we have to be sure they don’t want it more than us,” said Mourinho.
“That’s the point. They want it a lot, of course they want it a lot. But I don’t think they want it more than us.
“So I think the best team on the pitch will win and it won’t depend on motivation.”
Mourinho will become the first United manager in the club’s illustrious history to win a trophy in his debut season, if he lifts the EFL Cup aloft tomorrow.
That is something that even proved beyond the midas touch of Sir Alex Ferguson and Sir Matt Busby, the two most successful bosses in Reds history.
The former Chelsea manager will also stand alongside Ferguson and Brian Clough as the only managers to win the League Cup four times if he is triumphant.
But Mourinho showed humility in playing down the prospect of achieving both feats. “The word ‘if ’ is a big thing in football,” he said. “But I think it’s more important for the club than myself.
“I have so many good things in my career that I wouldn’t be influenced by a little detail like that.
“At the beginning I was looking more to my personal accomplishments – now I’m more and more a club man.
“It’s the club that’s important. The club won a trophy last season. Let’s try to win another one this season.
“Plus, the quality and dimension of our football is important, and I realise that by the reaction of the fans.
“Their happiness and empathy with the way the team plays is important.”
The League Cup was the first trophy Mourinho won with Chelsea in 2005, proving the launchpad for the huge success that followed in his first spell there.
And the self-proclaimed Special One knows victory tomorrow could have a similar effect at Old Trafford and be the catalyst for a new era of success.
“When you have a taste of good things, you want to repeat it,” he added. “I think when you get used to winning and you don’t win, you miss it. You don’t accept it and you’re always chasing more success.”