You knew exactly what the first question was going to be about today at Jose Mourinho’s pre-Bournemouth press conference. It’s the dominant post Manchester Derby storyline- the massive brawl in the Old Trafford tunnel outside the visitor dressing room.
Some reports indicated a few big names involved in the fracas, including Ederson, Mourinho, Mike Arteta and Romelu Lukaku. The Football Association is looking into it, and no matter what happened or what didn’t happen.
Meeting the media on Tuesday, for the first time since the fracas, Mourinho initially dodged the question a couple of times, before eventually letting his opinion be heard.
Mourinho first maintained that his session today was about Bournemouth and Bournemouth only, and he held to that even after a reporter pointed out the new developments since he last spoke with the media. Mourinho would not be baited by that follow up. However, when a different reporter mentioned how Pep Guardiola has already commented on the melee, Mourinho couldn’t help himself but to finally weigh in on the matter.
“For me it was just a question of diversity – diversity in behaviors and diversity in education. Just that and nothing more than that,” Mourinho said.
The reporter then tried to follow up, but it was shut down by the United press officer, and the media session was pretty much over with after that. When asked earlier about derby defeat letdown and recovery from the derby disappointment he said:
“When you lose you probably have a little bit more desire to win it. Nobody wants to lose once. Nobody wants to lose twice. Every team in the world, when you lose a match, the next one you have a little bit extra to give.”
Exactly, the key now is to not let City beat you twice.
Odds: United 2/7, Bournemouth 10/1, draw 9/2
For the United starting XI prediction, go to this link.
For the injury report, go to this link.
Prediction: United 2, Bournemouth 0
As always, feel free to post your own MUFC starting XI and match score predictions in the comments section below.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes regularly to WGN CLTV and the Tribune company’s blogging community Chicago Now.
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