Liverpool hardly needs any extra incentive to beat arch-rivals Manchester United.
The two sides have one of the fiercest rivalries in European football and will clash at Anfield on Monday in a heavyweight encounter.
However, this year, you can’t blame Liverpool fans for wanting to beat United, even more, this season.
Why?
Jose Mourinho.
The Portuguese boss has had a troubled relationship with Liverpool supporters ever since he was seen ‘shushing’ them during Chelsea’s 2005 League Cup final triumph.
Since then, the Special One has clashed with the red half of Merseyside several times – especially during his first spell at Chelsea when his side met Rafa Benitez’s Liverpool 10 times in the Champions League alone.
From Luis Garcia’s ‘ghost goal’ to ruining Liverpool’s title chances in 2014 with a 2-0 victory at Anfield, Mourinho has quite an incredible history with Liverpool.
So, ahead of Mourinho clashing with Liverpool yet again, we’ve dug out some of Mourinho’s most controversial comments towards Liverpool. You’ll see exactly why Kopites despise him so much and are often caught singing “f*** off, Mourinho.”
Here are some of his best comments:
ON LIVERPOOL’S ‘NEGATIVITY’ AFTER THE MATCH INVOLVING GARCIA’S ‘GHOST GOAL’:
“The best team lost. After they scored only one team played, the other one just defended for the whole game.”
ON THE AMOUNT OF LIVERPOOL PUNDITS:
“Lots of people on TV, but nobody a Chelsea man: Carragher, Liverpool; Thompson, Liverpool; Redknapp, Liverpool. Lawrenson, Liverpool; Hansen, Liverpool. We don’t have one. When I retire, 75 years old, I go as a pundit to defend Chelsea on television.”
MOCKING LIVERPOOL’S LEAGUE RECORD AHEAD OF 2006 FA CUP SEMI-FINAL:
“They have only one competition.”
ON LOSING TO LIVERPOOL IN THE 2006 FA CUP SEMI-FINAL:
“Did the best team win? I don’t think so.”
MOCKING LIVERPOOL’S LEAGUE RECORD (AGAIN):
“In the Premiership, Liverpool have no chance. In a one-off game maybe they will surprise me and they can do it. In the Premiership, the distance between the teams is 45 points over two seasons.”
AHEAD OF THE 2007 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SEMI-FINAL:
“History speaks for itself and historically Liverpool are not even a big club, they are a monster. But in the last years, you can see that they play only one competition and they succeed in knockout competitions.
“I am not a statistics man, but I think that in the Premiership Chelsea can have 60 points more than Liverpool. I don’t know – 50, 55 or 60 – but I would go with 60 points. That’s a lot.
ON RUINING LIVERPOOL’S 2014 TITLE CHANCES:
“I felt that day was a day that they were ready for their celebration. I used the word with my players. I said – we are going to be the clowns. They want us to be the clowns in the circus. The circus is here. Liverpool are to be champions.”