CHAMPIONS LEAGUE? YOU’RE HAVING A LAUGH! ( And the Premier League record is nothing to be proud of either )
JOSE MOURINHO handed Manchester United and their fans a brutal reality check in an astonishing 12-minute rant.
Mourinho, reading from notes in an echo of Rafa Benitez’s infamous ‘facts’ rant, came out fighting in the wake of the shock Champions League exit to Sevilla by pointing to United’s poor record at home and abroad in recent years.
The self-titled Special One effectively mocked what he called United’s recent “football heritage” by suggesting their Champions League last-16 exit should have come as no surprise.
“The last time United won the Champions League, which didn’t happen a lot of times, was in 2008,” said Mourinho, whose side face Brighton this evening.
“Since 2011, when they reached the final – 2011/12, out in the group phase, the group was almost the same as we had this season, Benfica, Basel and Otelul.
“In 2013 out in the last 16. In 2014, out in the quarter-final.
“In 2015, no European football. In 2016, comes back to European football, out in the group phase, goes to Europa League and out in the second knockout round.
“In 2017, play Europa League, win it with me and go back to Champions League. In 2018, win the group phase with 15 points out of a possible 18 and lose at home in the last 16.
“So in seven years with four different managers, once not qualify for Europe, twice out in the group phase and the best was the quarter-final – this is football heritage.
“In the Premier League, the last victory was 2012-13 and in the four consecutive seasons United finished seventh, fourth, fifth and sixth. This is football heritage.”
Mourinho then turned his sights on runaway Premier
League leaders Manchester City, claiming their shrewd recruitment and investment before Pep
Guardiola was a key factor in them being so far ahead.
“Do you know what is also heritage?” said Mourinho. “It’s that Otamendi, De Bruyne, Fernandinho, Silva, Sterling, Aguero, they are investments from the past, not from the last two years. That’s football heritage and one day when I leave the next manager will find here Lukaku, Matic (left), of course De Gea from many years ago. “They will find players with a different mentality, quality, background, with a different status, know-how.”
Mourinho added: “I could be in another country with the league already in the pocket, but I’m here. And no way am I going to change my mentality. “I’m not going to run away or disappear or to cry because I heard a few boos, I’m not going to disappear from the tunnel, running immediately. The next match I will be the first to go out. I’m not afraid of my responsibilities.”
Mourinho said while City were benefiting from past investments in players, United were paying the price for theirs, having moved on the likes of Morgan Schneiderlin, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Memphis Depay and Angel Di Maria in recent seasons. “Do you know how many of United players that left the club last season?” said Mourinho. “See where they play, how they play, if they play. That’s football heritage.” CHRIS HUGHTON has to go back to 1980 to recall FA Cup success at Old Trafford – and that was achieved with Glenn Hoddle in goal.
Brighton boss Hughton (above) was part of the Tottenham side that beat Manchester United in a third-round replay thanks to Ossie Ardiles’ winner three minutes from the end of extratime. But Spurs had been forced to use Hoddle as a makeshift keeper after Milija Aleksic was floored in a collision with United’s Joe Jordan.
Hughton admits he may revive the memories of that win by watching a re-run of the game – but insists he would prefer a less dramatic victory in tonight’s quarter-final.
He said: “Milija Aleksic, our goalkeeper, got knocked out and Glenn Hoddle went in goal and we ended up winning 1-0.
“I would take that again although I’m not so sure about somebody going in goal. I don’t know about showing the players the video of that game. I’ll have a look at it myself, though.”