Mourinho is singing from a different hymn sheet now
UNDERSTANDABLY regarded as the black sheep of English football for so long, Jose Mourinho is doing his best to come across as a choirboy in his new role as Manchester United manager.
The United board clearly spelt out the responsibilities that come with the job and Mourinho has been keen to appear reasonable and respectable, although the biggest test of that will come tomorrow when he faces the near-manic Jurgen Klopp at an Anfield stadium baying for United blood.
In the build-up, Mourinho hasn’t wanted to answer questions directly about Liverpool. But by presenting United as the new squeaky-clean boys, he’s drawing a contrast between himself and Klopp, whose antics nearly saw him end up in a fight with Mourinho’s assistant Jose Morais when Liverpool played Chelsea last season.
Mourinho (far right) said: ‘We have played with discipline the whole season. Our record is really, really good. We don’t have any problems at all at this level.’
His win-at-all-costs attitude at other clubs has led to several unsavoury incidents including poking the then Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova in the eye and criticising the Reading ambulance service.
He is clearly less keen to wind up authority these days, adding: ‘We are a team that is following everything that was told to us in the meetings we had with the Premier League and the representatives of the Premier League and the referees. We don’t press referees, we behave on the touchline so that is a point that we are very comfortable with.’
Aged 53, perhaps he is now happy to let younger rivals like Klopp, Pep Guardiola and Mauricio Pochettino do the intensity.
Asked about Liverpool’s title credentials, he refused to heap pressure on Klopp, saying: ‘That is not my problem. I think we have a very difficult match but it
is not for me to say that they are or they are not title contenders. I think you have to ask them.’
The international break has been kind to United. Zlatan Ibrahimovic has retired from international football, Juan Mata wasn’t picked, Chris Smalling not used and Luke Shaw and Henrikh Mkhitaryan are both fit and available having recovered fully from injury.