WE SHOULD BE MORE LIK E JUVE
Mourinho has a swipe at the Old Trafford Boardroom as rift goes on
Jose Mourinho has challenged Manchester United’s hierarchy to take a leaf out of Juventus’ book – and focus entirely on football.
The United boss is impressed at how the Italian Champions – 1-0 winners at Old Trafford last Tuesday – did not rest on their laurels after seven Serie A titles, but signed Cristiano Ronaldo to try to land the Champions League.
That was in sharp contrast to his club’s poor transfer activity.
“Juventus won seven in a row, but this summer they bought Cristiano,” said Mourinho, ahead of today’s league clash at home to Everton. “They always want more and more.
“The objective of that club is happiness, related to football
results.”
Jose Mourinho saw at first hand on Tuesday night how far Manchester United have fallen behind the powers of European football.
Juventus won 1-0 at Old Trafford in their Champions League group stage match, a victory which was more comfortable than the scoreline suggests.
United remain one of the biggest names in the game, on a par with the likes of Juve, but in Mourinho’s eyes, they are lagging behind in the area that matters most – on the pitch.
The Italian champions have made no secret of their ambition. The summer purchase of Cristiano Ronaldo is intended to give them the extra push they need to conquer the Champions League after seven successive Serie A titles.
But whereas the Turin club were clear in what they wanted in the market, United’s summer business left a lot to be desired.
So after nine games, the Reds are stuck in mid-table and face a real fight to finish in the Premier League’s top four with the team seemingly going backwards.
Much has been made of the lack of a director of football at United. Mourinho will not discuss that, but he just wants everyone pulling together in the pursuit of victories.
And maybe that would be enough to change his mood from permanent anger to one of happiness.
“I am not going to discuss the way I think Manchester United should be organised,” he says.
“One thing is to compliment Juventus, and another is to give you my opinion on how Manchester United should or shouldn’t be organised at that level.
“The biggest compliment to Juventus is not even about their structure. It is about the philosophy and the basic things behind the philosophy.
“In the tunnel before the game I was speaking with Mr Agnelli ( Juventus’s chairman) and I was telling him: ‘Since I left Inter, you have won seven in a row. And it looks like the eighth is coming.’
“He told me: ‘I don’t want the eighth. I want ten in a row.’ That is a fantastic answer and a fantastic statement.
“So they won seven in a row but this summer they bought Cristiano and Leonardo Bonucci and Emre Can and Joao Cancelo. They always want more and more.
“The objective of the club is happiness related to football results. I know they are going to chase that treble.
“If it is not this year, then they are going to chase it next year. If not next year, they will chase it in other years.
“To be honest, I don’t know the inside of Juventus’ structure. But I know very well Mr Agnelli and Mr Nedved and before that, Mr Marotta.
“I like the criteria. I like the philosophy behind that work and that I am very complimentary about them, despite my history as they were my big rivals in Italy.
“People did not take me seriously when I said that second position was a phenomenal effort for us last season and that this season was going to be difficult.
“You did not look to my experience and knowledge in football.
“Every team is getting really powerful and is ready to invest millions.
“From my perspective, I just have to work like I am going to do now. I go to the pitch and work with the players.
“That is what I can do. To try to improve my players all the time.”
As Mourinho prepares his team to take on Everton at Old Trafford this afternoon, it will be Marcus Rashford’s final game before he turns 21 on Wednesday.
Handed his debut at 18 by Louis van Gaal, Rashford has grown up in the spotlight at United.
Mourinho thinks he deserves comparison with any current player of a similar age, but he is reluctant to draw comparisons with the last boy wonder at United in Wayne Rooney. “Marcus is not a youngster,” he says. “For some players at 21, that means zero matches in the first team.
“For the majority, that means being a squad player that plays a few minutes during the season.
“For Marcus, that means a World Cup. It means two seasons of Champions League and a Europa League final.
“It means two FA Cup finals and a League Cup final. It means a capital of experiences and opportunities to develop himself.
“He is a privileged player to have had so many chances and he is going to keep having them. He has the conditions for his career to explode in the way that not many players have during their careers.
“Comparing him to someone like Rooney is not good. It is not the best thing.
“It’s like comparing somebody with an amazing career and amazing numbers with a young player, where the only similar thing is the start.
“Rooney is Rooney and Marcus is Marcus. The start was similar, let’s see how it ends.”