Mourinho eyes European progress
MANCHESTER United manager Jose Mourinho is hopeful the obstacle of a trip to Chelsea in the FA Cup does not hinder his side’s prospects of completing a Europa League last-16 win over Rostov.
United drew 1-1 in Russia in the first leg of their tie on Thursday after Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s first-half opener was cancelled out by an Aleksandr Bukharov strike shortly after the break.
It was a good result after a long trip for a match played on a shocking surface at the Olimp 2 stadium — so bad that Mourinho had questioned whether the match should have gone ahead at all.
United host Rostov in the return at Old Trafford next Thursday but before that they go to Chelsea in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Monday evening, meaning the Portuguese manager will have to adequately manage his squad to avoid fatigue.
And he acknowledged the importance of the Europa League as a potential route into next season’s Champions League for a team currently sitting sixth in the Premier League.
“We want to keep the two goals open. In the Europa League, if you manage to go to the quarter finals, then in the quarter finals, you feel it so we have to try by every means,” said Mourinho, whose side have already won the English League Cup this season.
“We have a trophy in our pocket which is always a good thing, a good feeling for everyone. But now we have the Premier league to try to be in the top four, we have the Europa League to try to beat Rostov, and on Monday we cannot go with a bad team.
“Manchester United is too big. It’s not Chelsea’s fault that we’ll play on Monday. So we have to make changes, for sure, but we cannot go to Stamford Bridge with a bad team.”
Of the game in Rostov, the former Chelsea manager admitted disappointment at his side’s inability to hold their lead but hinted that the outcome still suited him. “You know, an away goal is always positive. It’s better 1-1 than 0-0 but the game is open,” said Mourinho, who won the Uefa Cup with Porto in 2003. “The result is open and this Rostov team, they have experience at playing big matches, big opponents and big stadiums. I don’t think it’s a problem for them to compete against us. “They play Sunday against Terek Grozny, we play Monday against Chelsea. For us, it’s difficult but we are one step from being in the quarterfi Rostov will travel to England without Timofei Kalachev and captain Aleksandr Gatskan, who will be suspended after picking up bookings. They also lost Vladimir Granat to a broken collarbone.
“Probably if this was a point, they would be happy with the point,” Mourinho added.
The United manager also spoke of his relief that the evening went off without trouble after the build-up to the match was overshadowed by fears of violence between travelling English supporters and Russian hooligans.
“I think everything was magnificent. People have been nice to us since we landed,” said Mourinho, whose side were backed by just under 250 of their fans on the long trip.
“During the game, they supported their team but they did it like it should be done. I think our supporters also were nice guests and they behaved properly.
“On the pitch, everything was an example because the players fought hard, they fought very hard for every ball but in a positive way.
“Everything was a good example and hopefully the Rostov fans that will go (to Manchester) next week, they have great conditions now to be welcome and for everything to be a good example.” — AFP JUST when Arsene Wenger thought life couldn't get any more stressful, the Arsenal manager finds himself on a hiding to nothing as minnows Lincoln eye more FA Cup history in today’s quarterfinals.
Wenger has endured a week from hell that started when Arsenal were thumped 3-1 at Liverpool following his decision to drop star forward Alexis Sanchez, who reportedly demanded a transfer in an angry row after that loss.
There was worse to come on Tuesday when Arsenal were eliminated from the Champions League in humiliating fashion as Bayern Munich’s 5-1 victory condemned Wenger to his heaviest home defeat since 1998.
Wenger, who has yet to reveal if he will remain in charge next season, has been subjected to vitriolic abuse from Arsenal fans calling for his resignation and the visit of non-league Lincoln hardly promises to be a port in the storm for the beleaguered Frenchman.
With another supporter protest planned for the Emirates Stadium tie, suffering what would be one of the FA Cup’s all-time great upsets would surely be the last straw for Wenger.
“I have worked very hard for 20 years to make our fans happy and when you lose the games, I understand they are not happy,” Wenger said.
“I do not want to judge the protests, I am not able to. I don’t work for my image, I work for this club with full commitment.”
The contrasts between Arsenal’s global reach and tiny Lincoln’s far more humble ambitions make this the ultimate banana skin for Wenger, who has won the FA Cup six times in his 21-year reign.
Danny Cowley’s fifth tier leaders are the first non-league club to reach the last eight in 103 years following a stunning 1-0 victory at Premier League Burnley in the fifth round.
Asked if Lincoln can join Sutton, Hereford and Wrexham as the FA Cup’s most famous giant-killers, former schoolteacher Cowley, whose brother Nicky serves as his assistant manager, said: “Yeah, we can. It might be one-in-1 000 at the Emirates but we can.
“We understand that Arsenal could blow us away. We could play our very best and still get beaten 5-0. We’re professional and prepared. We might surprise some people.”
On Monday, Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho aims to erase the memory of one of his most painful defeats by ending Chelsea’s double challenge.
United were thrashed 4-0 at Chelsea in October and Mourinho was taunted by his old supporters on his first return since his sacking as Blues boss last season.
Asked if Mourinho’s League Cup winners want revenge, United forward Marcus Rashford: “Yeah, definitely. They’ve got one over us. We’re on a good run of form and so are they, so it’ll be a good game.”
But Chelsea, 10 points clear at the top of the Premier League, are closing in on the title and adding the FA Cup would cap an incredible first season for manager Antonio Conte.
Pep Guardiola faces a selection headache at Middlesbrough as the Manchester City manager juggles the demands of competing for silverware on two fronts.
Guardiola must decide whether to rest City’s stars because they have a 5-3 lead to defend in a Champions League last 16 second leg clash at Monaco next week.
Guardiola’s most recent squad rotation backfired when he started Wednesday's Premier League goalless draw against Stoke without David Silva and Raheem Sterling.
But City midfielder Yaya Toure hinted there will be more changes, saying: “We've got two games now where we need all the players.”
Millwall manager Neil Harris has called for fans to keep the peace when the third tier giant killers travel to London rivals Tottenham.
With a history of violent clashes between hooligan gangs from Tottenham and Millwall, police have classified the tie as “high risk”.
Harris, whose team upset Bournemouth, Watford and Leicester en route to the last eight, is keen to ensure there are no unsavoury incidents in the last FA Cup fixture at White Hart Lane before the stadium is demolished.
“You want to paint yourself in the right light as a club,” he said.
“White Hart Lane is a football cathedral. It’s going to be an electric atmosphere, one we should all embrace.”