he hasn't gone away you know

[Herbie von Smalls]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,27-2295536,00.html

Mourinho writes off Liverpool's title challenge

From Matt Hughes in Los Angeles

 

 

 

IT IS a sign of Liverpool?s emergence as a force in the Barclays Premiership that José Mourinho should be moved to dismiss their threat as title challengers. The Chelsea manager always likes to get his retaliation in early and yesterday provided a subtle savaging of Rafael Benítez?s side, damning them with faint praise for their defensive qualities. With 11 days remaining until Chelsea and Liverpool kick off the season with the FA Community Shield, the mind games have begun in earnest.

 

Benítez has succeeded in getting under Mourinho?s skin since European football?s brightest young managers both moved to England two years ago, but there is more than simple spite to the Portuguese?s outburst. Although Liverpool have won only two of the ten increasingly ill-tempered meetings between the sides in the past two seasons, those victories came in the most important matches, the Champions League in 2005 and this year?s FA Cup semi-final, revealing Benítez to be the only Premiership manager capable of matching the Special One in a tactical battle. Mourinho may genuinely disagree with John Terry?s recent suggestion that Liverpool will run Chelsea close this season, but one sensed that he protested slightly too much.

 

 

 

?I believe that Manchester United and Arsenal will be the better teams,? Mourinho said. ?The quality of their football, the way they play, the improvements in their squads. United will improve a lot by having Michael Carrick. He?s a very, very good player and will improve them. United have had some problems since Roy Keane went to Celtic, but they have a very good team and don?t need ten players to improve their team. They just choose the right players for the right position. Carrick is a big improvement for them and I think they can be a very strong team.

 

?Arsenal were not successful in the Premiership but had success, you can say that because they reached the final of the Champions League playing always very good football. They have a very good group of players, and some young players with great motivation. [Tomas] Rosicky is also a very important player for them and can bring them the kind of quality ? I don?t want to compare him to [Dennis] Bergkamp because he was more than special ? but Rosicky can bring that kind of quality to the left side. I think they are a very strong team.

 

?Liverpool are different. They are very competitive, it?s very difficult to beat them. If they score a goal before you score, it?s very difficult to change it because they defend really well with 11 players and are very, very compact. They are tactically very good. And they are potentially fighting for the front pack, but I still fancy more the way Manchester United and Arsenal play football.?

 

For all Mourinho?s respect for United and Arsenal, such is his confidence that he feels Chelsea?s biggest enemy is complacency.

 

?We were the best team for sure in England in the last two years so the fight is against ourselves,? he said. ?We must challenge ourselves. We don?t need other people to put pressure on us, I think we have to put pressure on ourselves and push ourselves with big motivation to keep improving. The new players we have are not many, but are high-quality players and they are new motivation for us.

 

?I was telling the players this group reminds me of our group in the first year I came here. In the first year from the first day we were feeling and smelling a fantastic group and a great family. I think these kind of feelings are back. Of course leaving our wives and families behind is difficult but we feel very, very comfortable living together and working together.

 

?I don?t believe it will be easy for other clubs to stop us because we are building a very strong football team and also a very strong family.?

[Maldini]

The lady doth protest too much (again)

[Michael]

He's like some sort of voyeur where we are concerned

[mooks]

?Arsenal were not successful in the Premiership but had success, you can say that because they reached the final of the Champions League playing always very good football.

Don't all of you remember Jose saying before the start of last season how we were such a good team because we had won the Champions League?

[DazzlaJ]

Special one my a***

 

 

Go back to the bill you bearded pissflap

[Rahul]

Can't believe he's criticising anyones style of football.

[Herbie von Smalls]

Special one my a***

 

 

Go back to the bill you bearded pissflap

 

played, dazzla!

[Spike]

Can't believe he's criticising anyones style of football.

 

aye, fecking journos. They missed out the quote where he said in terms of tactics and c***yness Sheffielf Utd will be their main challengers

[Swipe]

Can't believe he's criticising anyones style of football.

 

Exactly.

 

Wenger hit the nail on the head when he suggested Mourinho wasn't very intelligent.

 

He's the worse type of bore - a limited person who believes he's smart, and believes the s*** oozing from his mouth is wisdom.

 

The fact he can't wind Benitez up clearly riles him.

[mercury]

well, Rafa isn't above the mind games.

 

Can't wait for the season to start.

[nitski]

Simply don't care what he says. As usual we just need to concentrate on our job and how we play. He likes the limelight. That's all.

[stressederic]

Mourinho in "Everyone look at me!" shocker.

[Elisha_Scott]

'He likes to talk'

[Cobs]

?Liverpool are different. They are very competitive, it?s very difficult to beat them. If they score a goal before you score, it?s very difficult to change it because they defend really well with 11 players and are very, very compact. They are tactically very good. And they are potentially fighting for the front pack, but I still fancy more the way Manchester United and Arsenal play football.?

 

 

How is that writing off our title challenge?

 

That headline writer must be a paranoid poster from here. No doubt on Arsenal and Utd forums fans will be incensed that Mourinho has called Liverpool 'competitive, tactically good and difficult to beat' which must mean he thinks they aren't....

 

 

 

Mourinho in "Everyone look at me!" shocker.

Mourinho in answering journalists questions about the forthcoming Premiership season and likely challengers to the title shocker!

 

 

ffs.

Edited August 2, 2006 by Cobs

[Maldini]

He says we're "potentially fighting for the front pack" He's basically saying that we're of a similar standard to Newcastle or Spurs.

[stressederic]

Mourinho in answering journalists questions about the forthcoming Premiership season and likely challengers to the title shocker!

ffs.

 

To be honest I think I'm just going to start using:

 

Mourinho in "Everyone look at me!" shocker.

 

As my bog standard response to anything Mourinho says regardless of context or content. I feel confident those 7 words will likely sum up my opinion of both the man and every word he spews forth.

[Guest Scot]

smelling?

[Rory Fitzgerald]

He is very complimentary to us I thought. The headlines were dramatic on SkySports and BBC, but think about it.

 

Mourinho described two types of football;

- The type Man Utd & Arsenal play, i.e. very fluid

- The type Liverpool play, i.e. hard to beat due to tactical organisation

 

Question: On what basis did Mourinho build his two titles ?

[Poolfrog]

Yeah, I think that's a given. As you say the Duff thing suggested that. I also think SWP would be a Liverpool player today but for Mourinho's fear us.

 

So ler's be thankful for small mercies then. Wright Phillips is simply not good enough for us. Ditto Duff

[mick]

Hillarious statement from Mourinho. Especially considering 90% of the time Chelsea play 'puke football'. (to quote Colm O' Rourke)

[Gomez]

Did anyone here R5 the other day when they were asking locals of the city the chavs were touring in America?

 

Reporter: "What do you think of chelsea's visit?"

Local: "What? Clinton?"

[David Hodgson]

So ler's be thankful for small mercies then. Wright Phillips is simply not good enough for us. Ditto Duff

 

You'd be wrong there.

[anny road]

You'd be wrong there.

 

 

very wrong

 

esp SWP

[Red_Rob]

He's rattled alright. He knows Rafa has the measure of him and is scared. Why else would he try to slag us off at every given chance?

[Herbie von Smalls]

as the article author says, mourinho's damning us with faint praise - he seems sure arsenal & man u will finish above us. i doubt there are many neutrals who would be so convinced by that. his cod-psychology never bothers me. when he singles us out it just demonstrates how threatened he feels by a better manager.