Jose Mourinho might not be enjoying life in Manchester as he admitted that life in the city has been ‘a disaster’ for him but when it came to his experience with the fans, the Portuguese tactician is more than happy.
The former Chelsea manager, who replaced Louis Van Gaal this term at Old Trafford, heaped lavish praise on the United supporters after his team’s hard-fought 1-0 win over bitter city rivals Manchester City in the EFL Cup tie. Juan Mata’s goal in the second half was enough to send United in the quarterfinals of the EFL Cup.
Meanwhile, after bouncing back from the 4-0 Chelsea hammering at the weekend, Mourinho might have taken a subtle dig at Chelsea supporters by saying that the Old Trafford was full of ‘not just people, but real supporters’.
Speaking after the match, a delighted Mourinho said that he was very hurt after the Chelsea defeat.He said that the match against City was a good chance for his team to make amends for the disastrous display at Stamford Bridge and make the fans happy.
He said: “I’m happy. The players did everything deserved to win.
“Especially because in the last week the fans felt such a negative result and today was a good chance to clear that feeling because it’s always a derby.
“It’s a knockout and to win against City gives everyone a special feeling and I’m especially happy for the players and fans.”
With recent results not going his way, Mourinho fielded a very strong lineup to face City. When asked about that, he said:“Yeah. We did not have a good run of results.
“I think in last seven we lost one but it was a big defeat and numbers that the history of this club does not deserve and my heart belongs to the fans and I felt especially deeply for them.
Praising the fans for their attitude at Stamford Bridge when they outvoiced the home fans even after their team was losing 4-0, Mourinho said that he never had such an experience.
Mourinho said:“But the reality is I never had people like these ones. We lost 4-0 and they were supported.
“Today the stadium was full and not full of people, real supporters and it looks like the love that people have for the club is bigger than three bad seasons so we must give something back.
“Independent of the result, we could lose and I would still have the same feeling for my players – they gave absolutely everything in a very difficult run.
“Even if we lose the feeling was fantastic because players showed that they care and they fought for them.”
Speaking to MUTV, Mourinho said that making the fans is his utmost priority.
“It was a better way to create an absolutely wonderful feeling with fans I’ve never seen like this.
“I’m very happy for them. I don’t care about myself.
“The performance was good – not phenomenal. But what was phenomenal was the spirit and this is the minimum we can give to the fans.
“It’s real passion and the passion that doesn’t depend on the result or the moment. I couldn’t be prouder than I am to be Man United manager.
“Easy to be a Man Utd fan when you win the treble. It’s not easy when you lose 4-0 and this is incredible.
“This is not the Champions League final, it is the League Cup last 16.”