Manchester City absolutely dominated crosstown rivals United in the Manchester Derby today, spotlighting the big gap that currently exists between the two clubs right now. After the 3-1 loss, Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho made a bunch of excuses for his side’s no show on Sunday, with mental and physical fatigue right at the top of the list.
He also scapegoated the fixture schedule and said that City were at an advantage because they had won their previous matches by such a lopsided margin and were thus at ease.
“In a week where Man City played at home three matches and we played three matches away, in a week where they enjoyed two 6-0 and 6-1 victories, relaxed, no pressure, no mental effort, everything nice and easy,” Mourinho told reporters after the game.
“We played two matches away, difficult ones and the second one was like a final for us against one of the best teams in Europe, a game that demanded from us everything we had to give physically and mentally. When I analyze the game today I think the difference was — you can go for stats, that is the way people that don’t understand football analyze football, is with stats — but I don’t go for stats.”
“I go for what I felt and what I watch in the game.”
Here’s the thing though- if you’re that good and you win so handily YOU SHOULD get to feel free and easy. That’s why it’s called competition- you’re competing to be the best you can be. It was quite an odd claim from Mourinho, but it would get weirder still during this news conference.
Mourinho would later say that City would have been in “big, big trouble” had they have had to deal with Marouane Fellaini coming off the bench in crunch time. The Portugese lamented his having to start the big Belgian and play him 90 minutes due to star midfielder Paul Pogba being injured.
“I don’t like to lose a game and talk about this player who wasn’t here. But he is important for us in many aspects of the game. Because he didn’t play we had to play Fellaini who wasn’t ready to play for 90 minutes,” Mourinho said.
“I can imagine when the result was 2-1, if we bring a fresh Fellaini on, I think they (Man City) would be in big, big trouble. When the result was 2-1 and it was the moment we had that final push, it was the moment Fellaini was doing an incredible effort to stay on the pitch. Not fit at all.”
“Risking his injury and his condition and giving everything to the team. Clearly one thing is to have a fresh Fellaini and another to play him for 90 minutes in this match. Yes, we missed Paul but that doesn’t mean with Paul we win the game. That is not an excuse.”
Well, first, yes that is an excuse- it’s the perfect example of an excuse. Secondly, no, just no, Fellaini is not that intimidating; sorry.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, regularly appears as a guest pundit on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
He also contributes sociopolitical essays to Lineups.com and Chicago Now. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. The content of his cat’s Instagram account is unquestionably superior to his.