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Mourinho pictured in the stands watching Fulham against Everton last month. Getty Images

Mourinho: I'd have loved backing like Guardiola or Klopp at United

The Portuguese manager was on beIN Sports’ Champions League coverage last night.

JOSE MOURINHO BELIEVES that he was not afforded the backing he needed for success at Manchester United compare to that which Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp have enjoyed at Manchester City and Liverpool.

The Portuguese’s two-and-a-half year tenure in the dugout at Old Trafford saw the Red Devils lift both the Carabao Cup and Europa League during his spell at the helm.

However, his time with the club came to an end following United’s 3-1 loss at Liverpool last December amid a poor run of Premier League results, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer subsequently taking charge.

Both Mourinho and Guardiola arrived at their respective clubs ahead of the 2016-17 campaign, with fans anticipating a renewal of their La Liga rivalry from their days at Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Instead however, United were subsequently outclassed by their cross-city rivals, who hit the 100 point threshold last season to lift the title, 19 points clear of Mourinho in second place.

Since then, Klopp and Liverpool have emerged as the major threat to Guardiola and City, with both sides clear of the 90-point barrier in the Premier League with two games to.

Mourinho was allowed to make some big-money moves while in charge at United, making Paul Pogba the most expensive player in the world and luring Alexis Sanchez to Old Trafford over the Etihad Stadium with a mega-money package.

Regardless of this though, the former Chelsea boss feels the more sustained backing Guardiola and Klopp have enjoyed is much clearer.

“I would love to go to a club and be in conditions to do what Jurgen and Pep did,” Mourinho told beIN Sports, while working as a pundit covering the Champions League semi-final between Barcelona and Liverpool.

If you look at the [Liverpool] team that started the game, how many of them were there when Jurgen arrived? A couple.

“And when Pep was not happy with the full-backs he had [at City in 2016-17] and in the [next] summer bought four [three] full-backs that he liked.

“When he bought one goalkeeper like Claudio Bravo and was not happy with Claudio Bravo, the next season he bought Ederson.

“When Jurgen is in the club and wins absolutely nothing for three-and-a-half years and he still has the trust, still has the confidence, still has the conditions to try to keep going and going. 

Jose Mourinho File Photo Mourinho was sacked by United before Christmas. Andrew Matthews Andrew Matthews

“Probably this season they have a big chance to do it – the first time that they win a trophy.

“In my next job I will not be starting a conversation without knowing exactly what the club wants and what the club has to give in terms of structure and the club objectives.”

Gary Neville said his former club were, in hindsight, wrong to appoint a manager like Mourinho, who did not align with United’s traditional philosophy.

Mourinho also scoffed at the assessment made by Neville that United should not have hired him due to a clash of coaching philosophy, drawing attention to a famous triumph over Guardiola’s Barcelona with Inter in 2010 to suggest his reputation as an ultra-defensive coach is unfair.

“You are in the direction of a lie told a thousand times become truth and it is not true,” he said.

“When people remember the incredible match that Inter played in Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final with 10 men, people say that was a masterclass of defensive football but was two buses parked.

“You don’t say that two weeks before [it was] Inter 3 Barcelona 1. We put ourselves in the position to go there and defend that result, playing with 10 men against the best team in the world, because two weeks before we beat them 3-1 and it should be four or five.”

Similarly, he felt Antonio Conte’s Premier League triumph at Chelsea in 2016-17 was judged by different standards to his three over the course of two spells at Stamford Bridge.

“When I came to Chelsea for the second time and we were champions, we were champions when we were not the best team in the country,” Mourinho added.

“To be champion when you are not the best team in the country you have to be more strategic than philosopher.

“And then, when Chelsea was champion again with Antonio Conte, Chelsea was a counterattacking team – very defensive and phenomenal on the counterattack.

“Once more they did it by the strategic point of view. But, because it was Antonio and not me, you didn’t mention it.”

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    Mute Ronan McGrath
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    Apr 30th 2019, 11:07 PM

    Messi is giving him nightmares and cold sweats. I imagine him rocking feverishly in his chair at 3am, fingernails dug into the wooden armrests. Poor Jurgen. At 10pm tomorrow he will be set free of his torment, for a week at least

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    Mute Porter Paddy
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    Apr 30th 2019, 11:13 PM

    @Ronan McGrath: Banter?

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    Mute David A Roberts
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    Apr 30th 2019, 11:14 PM

    @Ronan McGrath: how’s that stephen king novel going?

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    Mute Nollaig Elliot
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    May 1st 2019, 2:11 AM

    @Cionnadh:

    Lighten up ffs.

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    Mute Paul Cahoon
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    May 1st 2019, 9:26 AM

    @Ronan McGrath: nothing better than a load of shit to start the ball rolling. Silly.

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    Mute john murray
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    Apr 30th 2019, 11:19 PM
    11
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    Mute john murray
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    Apr 30th 2019, 11:24 PM

    @john murray: fantastic support

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    Mute David Weston
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    Apr 30th 2019, 11:33 PM

    @john murray: I’m surprised 12 minutes have passed since you posted that and no fans here have been on trying to defend that

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    Mute Seaniecp
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    Apr 30th 2019, 11:34 PM

    @john murray: ya d×ckheads. There’s no defending that. There is some pillocks out there.

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    Mute themansam
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    Apr 30th 2019, 11:37 PM

    @john murray: even better support
    https://twitter.com/Jayzinq/status/1116630524389253125
    But every club unfortunately has that element in it. Hopefully some of the footage in the clip you showed can be used against them

    14
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    Mute John O Reilly
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    Apr 30th 2019, 11:52 PM

    @john murray: every English soccer team has some lout supporters

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    Mute Dougal67
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    Apr 30th 2019, 11:55 PM

    @john murray: It’s why the rest of the premier league is #any1butscousers! Never seen a team so hated and a side so not wanted to be champions in my life %75 on a hys last week, watching footie over 40 years can never remember it before, Utd a bit cos they won everything……

    come on Barca/City

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    Mute john murray
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    Apr 30th 2019, 11:58 PM

    @John O Reilly: well to some people on 42 ALL Chelsea fans and racist

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    Mute john murray
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    Apr 30th 2019, 11:59 PM

    @john murray: are,*

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    Mute themansam
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    May 1st 2019, 12:05 AM

    @Dougal67: https://youtu.be/5m6BHuTxZ2c
    This lad is 100%, watch the full video but especially around 6.20 minutes Dougal

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    Mute Dougal67
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    May 1st 2019, 12:08 AM

    @themansam: See

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    Mute Dougal67
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    May 1st 2019, 12:12 AM

    @themansam: @themansam: Seen it take some to beat the scousers, didn’t u rob your own fans and their children for tickets champs final years ago!!!!!!
    Even Uefa said they’ve never seen the likes of it before!

    https://www.google.ie/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/football/2007/jun/04/newsstory.sport13

    Why do u think most of prem want yous to lose???

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    Mute themansam
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    May 1st 2019, 12:19 AM

    @Dougal67: https://youtu.be/zBeeZVd6urI
    Hard to see why the world thinks this of Chelsea

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    Mute Dougal67
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    May 1st 2019, 1:32 PM

    @themansam: Easy to see what world thinks of pool fans, After study since 2003 Eufa found Liverpool fans worst behaved in Europe, but hey you know better apparently?

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    Mute themansam
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    May 1st 2019, 1:55 PM

    @Dougal67: did you have a look at the videos there pal?

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    Mute El_Monikerinho
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    May 1st 2019, 2:30 AM

    One never knows with Football but WE ALL KNOW WHO IS BETTER AT THE GAME. Still in sport and especially Football one never knows what can happen.

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    Mute Fr Romeo sensini.
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    May 1st 2019, 7:13 AM

    @El_Monikerinho: easy on the sauce.

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    Mute El_Monikerinho
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    May 1st 2019, 2:28 AM

    Klopp = total B L U F F E R

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    Mute BrianBoru
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    May 1st 2019, 8:30 AM

    @El_Monikerinho: klopp has managed his team to the top of the premiership where they are still in with a shout of winning, the final of the champions league last year and so far the semi final this year………….. you are an anonymous keyboard warrior on a small Irish sports news app. I wonder who the bluffer is! Clown.

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    Mute Johnny Ryan
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    May 1st 2019, 8:35 AM

    @BrianBoru: you’re right, but you’re also anonymous so you can’t really use that against him

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    Mute BrianBoru
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    May 1st 2019, 8:37 AM

    @Johnny Ryan: sure I can.

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    Mute Weldoninhio
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    May 1st 2019, 12:11 PM

    @BrianBoru: In with a shout, Cl final last year, semi’s so far this year.

    But what has he actually won?? He’s spent over £350m in 2.5 years and not even a coca cola cup to show for it.

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    Mute BrianBoru
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    May 1st 2019, 12:20 PM

    @Weldoninhio: sure sure, but it hardly makes him a bluffer now does it.

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    Mute Conor Pocock
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    May 1st 2019, 12:24 PM

    @Weldoninhio: how much has he sold though? Every year there’s been an improvement. The priorities have been league and champions league. Give me this over Europa league and relegation zone under Hodgson

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