Manchester United, Mourinho's first press-conference
Jose Mourinho’s adventure at Manchester United has officially started. This morning, the Portuguese tactician gave his first press-conference at Old Trafford.
OBJECTIVE WINNING
He was asked where he realistically thought the team could finish next season to which he replied; “Surely the objective is to return to the place where we deserve to be, the Champions League. I have never been good in this kind of debate but I will just say that we want to win”.
THE STYLE OF PLAY
When asked about his style of play he declared that; “What matters to me is to score one more goal than the opponent. You can win games playing ugly but in the long term you have to play well to be successful. If we have to defend in the last few minutes to defend a victory then I have no problem as what counts is winning”.
LIFE AFTER CHELSEA
The subject of his high-profile split from Chelsea was next on the agenda and Mourinho explained that; “There are some coaches who have never won a title, the last time I won a title was only 12 months ago. There are some who have not won for 10-15 years. What counts for me is that I won’t be able to do my work without pointing to winning trophies. This challenge doesn’t make me nervous.
ON THE TRANSFER MARKET
“We have established a list of four priorities for the market in four positions. This is to give a certain balance to the team and a thrust in terms of quality that I want for my team. I am a coach who loves specialised players in their respective roles and. I’m very clear in my objectives and clear in my play patterns and for this reason I want specialists. We have chosen four objectives, until the fourth one arrives, we will continue to work hard."
ADVICE FROM FERGUSON
“He recommended two things, the first was to bring an umbrella and the second was to always carry a good bottle of wine with me”.
THE RIVALRY WITH GUARDIOLA
“I do not like to speak about one particular manager or one particular club. In Spain, it was always a two-horse race for the championship and in Italy possibly three. In the Premier League it’s not like this, if you concentrate only on one team it means that the others are laughing at you. Now I’m manager of Manchester United I respect all the other teams in the country”.
THE ROLE OF ROONEY
“There are players who change roles during their careers but something that will never change is the hunger to put the ball in the back of the net. Rooney is perhaps no longer a classic number nine, he may be a 10 or even a nine and a half but he certainly is not a six that plays 50 metres away from the goal”.
GIVING YOUTH A CHANCE
“I have promoted 49 players from the Academies. If you want I can give you a list. You can give youngsters a chance when there are injuries in the squad not when you are chasing success. I have been lucky with injuries at the clubs I’ve been in charge of”.
Steve Mitchell @barafundler
Steve Mitchell @barafundler
