Jose: Klopp needed Mour time to be a title winner

JOSE MOURINHO has said winning the league is a numbers game for Jurgen Klopp and told the Liverpool boss to stop moaning about injuries.

The Premier League’s top two meet at Anfield tonight with Mourinho insisting his record stands up to that of Klopp, who led the Reds to a first league title in 30 years. The Portuguese (pictured) pointed out the German, who joined Liverpool in 2015, had needed time to turn Liverpool into champions, even if they did win the Champions League in 2019. ‘One of the things they do very well is the 1,894 days [Klopp has had], they reach success but they had time,’ he said. ‘We have had 390 days and these 390 days are fake, because of quarantine, days at home, unable to work. ‘So from almost 2,000 to 300. For us to be able to compete at the level we’re doing I can only give credit to the players and be very, very happy with what they’re doing.’ Mourinho has previously enjoyed near-instant success at several clubs and added: ‘In a certain period of my career, with the profile of club I had, we didn’t need as much time. We did it at Porto, Inter (Milan), Real (Madrid) and Chelsea both times, without that time.

‘Here, if you can accelerate the process, like we are, of course we are not going to waste time.’ Mourinho did take time to have a swipe at Klopp’s complaints about Liverpool’s injury woes.

‘Alisson is not injured, [Trent] Alexander-Arnold is not injured, [Joel] Matip I believe will play (after injury), Fabinho is not injured, [Andy] Robertson is not injured, [Jordan] Henderson is not injured, [Georginio] Wijnaldum is not injured, [Mohamed] Salah is not injured, [Roberto] Firmino is not injured, [Sadio] Mane is not injured. [Virgil] van Dijk is injured,’ he added.

Alisson is not injured, Salah is not injured, Firmino is not injured, Mane is not injured

‘I can give you a list of ten injuries at Tottenham – the Under-16s, Under-21s, Under-23s, [Erik] Lamela and [Japhet] Tanganga. Injuries are normal. Liverpool have a big injury – Van Dijk.’ Spurs are unbeaten in 11 league matches but Mourinho claimed he did not need to make a ‘statement’ by beating the champions on their own patch this evening.

‘We don’t want to be unbeatable, we just want to win matches,’ he said. The visitors are likely to be without Gareth Bale (pictured) as the Wales star is suffering from an illness, which is not coronavirus.