Jose in dig over backing of rivals

BLAST: Jose Mourinho FORMER Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has claimed Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp were afforded more luxuries than him in the Premier League.

Mourinho, 55, highlighted the support Guardiola and Klopp have received in the transfer market since taking over at Manchester City and Liverpool.

The Portuguese appeared to struggle to secure his intended transfer targets in the summer but Guardiola and Klopp have had no such problems.

“I think the future starts to be prepared with principles. That is more important than the football you watch and comment on,” Mourinho said.

“It is more important the culture you bring to the club, the principles.

“But you have the case of Manchester City. In the first season, Guardiola was not a champion, it was really difficult and people were expecting a winning Manchester City.

“They were coming already from a winning period, champions with Mancini and Pellegrini. Some of the players were already champions twice and in the first to the second season Pep made great decisions that were supported.

“In the same summer he sold four full-backs and got four full-backs.

“In Liverpool, I think how many players were in Liverpool before Jurgen arrived? No Alisson, no Van Dijk, no Robertson, no Salah, no Firmino, no Mane, no Fabinho, no Wijnaldum, no Keita.

“So when I speak about leadership related to the structure of the club, it is not just leadership, it is everything.

“If you are manager and you have in your hands the possibility to choose the players you want to follow your football idea, or to follow the idea that you think is the best to win a certain competition, that is one thing.”

Mourinho also believes the mentality of players is changing.

He added: “I had one player say, ‘Please when you criticise me, can you do it in private?’. I said why and he said, ‘Because it’s my stature in front of the other players. When you criticise me I don’t feel comfortable’.

“He was one of the top players of his generation. Nowadays you have to be very smart in the way you read your players and their personalities.” HIGH HOPES: Clark LEE CLARK insists that succeeding miracle worker David Wagner as manager of rock-bottom Huddersfield Town is NOT the impossible job.

Former England boss Sam Allardyce – whose record of pulling struggling clubs clear of relegation is second to none – has already distanced himself from taking over, believing the Terriers are already doomed.

But Clark is backing owner Dean Hoyle to pull another rabbit out of the hat in a bid to save the Terriers’ Premier League status. Former Newcastle