Stop picking on Jose
Conte and Klopp are the real touchline lunatics
SAYS UNITED LEGEND BRYAN ROBSON
IF Jose MoURINHo gets fined or banned after being sent to the stands on saturday for continually stepping out of his technical area, it will be an absolute disgrace. It was a joke of a decision.
When Antonio Conte goes dancing down the touchline like a jack-in-thebox or Jurgen Klopp contorts his face while waving maniacally at a fourth official, we praise them as being passionate and say it’s great to see.
They can act like lunatics but not get punished. Yet when it’s Mourinho, there’s a suspicion his intentions can only be Machiavellian. stepping on to the pitch, six inches over a white line, getting too close to the fourth official — he’s up to something, he’s devious. He’s not, he’s trying to win.
Mourinho wants to get the best out of his players so it’s great to see if you are a Manchester United fan.
Louis van Gaal had an insouciant style almost at odds with what we were used to from sir Alex Ferguson (right) and Mourinho has brought back that fire.
I had my differences with him when I was manager at West Brom and he was at Chelsea as he can wind you up but it’s for the benefit of his team and officials need to realise that. sending him to the stands for that is pathetic.
Mourinho winds his teams up to win games, he cajoles them into giving that bit extra and so far it’s working.
United have a competitive team full of power and pace and are a real threat to Manchester City and Chelsea this season.
Nemanja Matic and Romelu Lukaku have made a big difference, while you can see greater maturity in the likes of Phil Jones, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford; when the team needed them they’ve stepped up.
There is certainly a feeling around old Trafford that they can challenge for the title. I know Mourinho has changed some of the pictures that adorn the walls at the training ground to reflect the trophies won last year, the League Cup and the europa League, and I totally agree with that. It’s not an ego trip, it’s a reminder of the standards required and what needs to come next.
When you join Manchester United, history always sits on your shoulders as you are expected to win like the teams from before. It’s simple, if you can’t handle that, don’t join — it shouldn’t be a burden, it’s a challenge. As a player looking around the club, you should want to be in the photographs on the walls to create your own part of history. I know for a fact Paul Pogba came back because he wanted to emulate the players he grew up with at United. Mourinho has won plenty of trophies but the one photograph you can guarantee he wants on the wall above all others will be of him lifting his first Premier League title with United. Injuries will be key. The squad is strong but Pogba has his hamstring problem while Matic and Marouane Fellaini picked up knocks against southampton. United can cope but won’t want too many injuries in the same area of the pitch, especially one as crucial as central midfield.
You would have concerns if Lukaku picked up an injury, too, but Rashford and Martial are sharing the scoring responsibility and, fingers crossed, Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be back in December.
It’s been four years since United won the league. Chelsea look strong and City are a great attacking threat but United certainly have nothing to fear.