José Mourinho has claimed that many of Manchester United’s rivals are scared to say that they can win the Premier League title, while he is sure his team are candidates to do so.
The Portuguese did not identify any particular clubs. However, on Thursday Claudio Ranieri, the coach of champions Leicester City, said there was more chance of ET landing on Piccadilly Circus than his side retaining the championship. Arsène Wenger, with whom Mourinho has a fractious relationship, has also been careful to play down Arsenal’s hopes, saying many teams have a chance. Jürgen Klopp, the Liverpool No1, also said in May he has “no idea” when the club can be champions again.
Mourinho, though, struck the opposite note. “We feel that we are candidates to win the title. We know that not one or two or three more than that have the same ambitions. We cannot speak differently. We want to fight for the title. At the end of the season we are not champs because someone is better than us then great, that’s football,” he said. “But at Man United Football Club you cannot say differently, we have to fight for the title.
“Not many more think the same way as us but they are afraid to say it. They prefer to play a defensive game in words. They prefer to say or to hide or to play defensively with the words, that’s not our way. I don’t think that’s Man United. I think Man United has to say we want to win the title. We have all the respect for the others and maybe we don’t win, maybe we arrive end of season and happy to finish top four. It depends on how season goes. But in this moment when I speak to you I speak to my players too, and I cannot speak differently.”
Asked what will be different under him for supporters frustrated by the past three seasons when Louis van Gaal and David Moyes were in charge, Mourinho said: “Professionalism, that’s for sure. We are not here to have fun or enjoy the sunny weather. We are to work and to give everything for the club. That’s the way. That we promise.
“Apart from that football is football, you can’t promise things. You can promise what you want and you’ll do everything to achieve your goals. But every Man United fan around the world can be sure that everyone here works hard at the training ground.”
Mourinho also aimed a dig at Van Gaal for sending Adnan Januzaj on loan to Borussia Dortmund last season. On Friday the Belgium international joined Sunderland and the 53-year-old claimed this showed he cares about the playmaker’s future at United.
“He fits in my plans which is why he is on loan. If not we don’t care about where he is going. We just send him to Borussia where he didn’t play one match,” said Mourinho. “So yes we care because he is talented but to be in the same squad as [Memphis]Depay and [Anthony]Martial [is difficult]. We cannot be selfish – we have to give Adnan all conditions to play well. This way, we see him every week in this country.”
Mourinho admitted to being unsure when signing Paul Pogba for £93.2m on Tuesday if he would be suspended for Sunday’s trip to Bournemouth, as the Football Association announced on Friday.
This was for the two yellow cards in the semi-final and final of the Coppa Italia Pogba received when playing for Juventus and Mourinho said: “I knew the situation with the yellow cards but I didn’t know at that time if an accumulation of yellow cards would bring suspension. I found out two days ago [on Wednesday].”
Mourinho refused to say if Pogba would have been match-fit for Bournemouth but indicated he may be ready for next Friday’s visit of Southampton. “I don’t think about him, I don’t think about injured or suspended players so I forget Paul for a few days. Tuesday he will be ready to play,”he said.
(Guardian service)
