HERE VIGO, HERE VIGO
‘It would be a great achievement if we could say Man United are a club that won every single competition in the football world’
JOSE MOURINHO began the season deriding the Europa League and Manchester United’s involvement in it.
Now, with history beckoning, the final in sight and a Champions League place at stake, he has had a change of heart and embraced the tournament.
Having given up on securing a top-four finish in the Premier League, Mourinho said: “It’s the only competition Manchester United has never won.
“So it would be great to close that circle and say we’re a club that won every single competition in the football world. It would be a good achievement, given the problems this season, and would allow us to be back in the Champions League next season.
“The Europa League has now become for us more important.”
Lifting the silverware in Stockholm on May 24 would see United become only the fifth team to win all four European trophies – joining Ajax, Bayern Munich, Juventus and Chelsea.
Had United performed better in the Premier League, it is doubtful Mourinho would have changed his stance.
But needs must with a topfour finish now looking out of reach. United take on Celta Vigo tonight in the first leg of their semi-final, with Mourinho acknowledging how the muchmaligned tournament has assumed such significance for the Red Devils. He said: “The Europa League is a long competition.
“To be in the final you have to play the group stages, three knockout phases and travel a lot, so when you arrive in the semi-final you want to be in the final.” United’s gruelling Europa League odyssey has taken them to Rotterdam, Istanbul, Odessa, Saint-Etienne, Rostov, Brussels and now Spain.
Mourinho has been boosted by the return of defensive trio Eric Bailly, Phil Jones and Chris Smalling – as well as midfield duo Paul Pogba (right, with young defender Axel Tuanzebe) and Juan Mata, who was on the bench last Sunday.
Bailly, who came off in the 1-1 draw with Swansea, is likely to resume his central defensive partnership with Daley Blind, while Mata – out for six weeks – could also start.
In a team lacking experience
and leadership, given the enforced absence of injured star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic and skipper Wayne Rooney’s diminishing influence, Mata’s return is crucial.
“He was injured for a while but Mata’s ready to play,” Mourinho said. “He’s experienced, he’s one of the few players who has played European semifinals and finals, so it’s nothing new for him.”
Celta may only be 11th in La Liga, but they knocked Real Madrid out of this season’s Copa Del Rey and have also beaten Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. Yet Mourinho cut a relaxed, confident figure yesterday. He said: “We’ll enjoy the dinner tonight, I’m sure we’re going to have great food, but tomorrow it’s work, work, work. “We have struggled in the Premier League, it’s been complicated. But we’re here to win.”