Jose used ‘clowns’ line in Chelsea teamtalk too
JOSE Mourinho’s use of the word ‘clowns’ at half-time in the derby on Saturday had echoes of the team talk he gave his Chelsea players before they played Liverpool nearly four years ago.
Chelsea travelled to Anfield with Liverpool three games away from a first title in 24 years, but Steven Gerrard’s slip allowed Demba Ba to slot in the opener in a gritty 2-0 win for the visitors.
Liverpool ended the season trophyless and their wait for a championship is set to extend beyond 28 years.
The match was sandwiched between Chelsea’s Champions League semi-final ties with Atletico Madrid and Mourinho opted to rest a number of firstteamers, starting teenager Tomas Kalas in defence.
Mourinho warned the Chelsea players they would be the ‘clowns in the circus’, amid the media hysteria over a possible Liverpool title triumph.
“I felt during part of last season that the country wanted Liverpool to be champion,” Mourinho told Gary Neville. “The media, the press: a lot was to put Liverpool there.
“I used the word with my players. I said, ‘We are going to be the clowns, they want us to be the clowns in the circus. The circus is here. Liverpool are to be champions.’”
United’s weekend matchwinner Chris Smalling revealed that Mourinho told the players at 2-0 not to become ‘clowns’ on a day City could have secured their fifth championship. MARCOS Rojo had not got on for his first appearance in two months, but twirled his match shirt in front of the United supporters, dismissing a steward’s attempts to restrain him.
Rojo tossed his shirt into the crowd, as did Eric Bailly, while Ashley Young breached a police barricade as open as the City defence to get closer to the jubilant Reds in the Etihad south stand.
Scott McTominay repeatedly pressed his index finger against the United crest, like a Lancastrian Gary Neville, and Paul Pogba emerged from the throng of red shirts like a triumphant gladiator.
Whether they were South American, African, the converted or academy graduates, the magnitude of United’s triumph was not lost on their starters and substitutes.
It was an evening for United to savour for umpteen reasons. Delaying City’s title confirmation, recording another derby comeback and the sight of Blues deflating their blow-up bananas and Premier League trophies fuelled the schadenfreude.
The embarrassment for City did not stop with the result, either.
What will have especially delighted United was their phenomenal fightback was sparked by an academy graduate, albeit at the price of £89m. Pogba was not born in Manchester but he was bred here and accompanied his Mancunian twang with the swagger of Ian Brown at full-time.
He and Jesse Lingard lifted their second trophy at the Etihad six years ago in the Manchester Senior Cup, when there was a mini pitch invasion following Luke Giverin’s 93rd-minute goal. That was Pogba’s last United appearance before he moved to Turin.
You may know the stat: United have had a youth player in every first-team squad dating back to October 30, 1937. That’s 3,914 consecutive matches that have taken in 16 Prime Ministers and 14 US Presidents.
Pogba and Lingard were the only homegrown starters on the pitch at the weekend. Marcus Rashford and McTominay emerged off the bench and Joel Pereira was an unused substitute. In a fixture where Pep Guardiola rested first-teamers, City did not have a single academy graduate in their matchday squad. It is an issue that has dogged City for decades. Rewind to the last Maine Road derby in November 2002 and the Sky Sports commentator Martin Tyler announced: “In the Manchester City line-up: No Mancunians, not even a Lancashire lad, not even an Englishman. Yet they feel they are the local club against undoubtedly the richest club in the world.” United’s XI included the Neville brothers, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs. John O’Shea emerged off the bench. Two years earlier, City fielded two academy starters to United’s six, upped to seven by Giggs’ introduction. Covering a match at City is a reminder of how much they have invested in their youth infrastructure. Media members collect their accreditation at the plush City Football Academy, SamuelLuckhurst