Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho insists it is not a big deal to go back to face former club Chelsea in Sunday’s Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge.
Mourinho had two spells with Chelsea (2004 – 2007 and 2014 – 2016) when he won three Premier League titles (2005, 2006 and 2015).
After getting sacked by Chelsea in 2016, Mourinho was appointed by Manchester United and helped them win the League Cup and the UEFA Europa League in his debut season.
Speaking ahead of the big clash, Mourinho said during his press conference on Thursday that he was going for a win against his former club.
“It is normal,” he says. “It is football life. One day you are in one club, the next day you are in another. It is a big match, a match between top teams in the country. From an emotional point of view? it is just one game.
“I played there with Inter, twice with Man Utd. I have to admit it is a little bit different. In the end, I want to win like I did with Inter. It is just one more day. In a couple of years it will be more natural. In four or five years no-one will remember I was manager.
“It is a big match because they are champions.”
Reacting to Tottenham’s recent impressive form, Mourinho posited that United should be given credit for not conceding against one of the most in form teams.
“I don’t want to comment. If I comment, I will do a job that is not my job. Sometimes I feel like I should, then I cool down. I know that it is a different way of analysing things. Similar performances for some clubs are magic.
“An example of brilliant tactics and amazing attitude, for others the same performance becomes conservative and negative.
“As an example, Tottenham beat Liverpool 4-1, Real Madrid 3-1. They didn’t score against Manchester United. A bit of credit that my players deserve.”
And on United’s injury situation, the Portuguese manager said: “We have to wait a little bit. Normally the press conference is a bit later in the week – we still have Friday and Saturday. I’m not very optimistic, but I don’t want to lie by saying there’s no chance of recovering, so I prefer just to say two more days to confirm my expectation.”
