MANCHESTER, United Kingdom, Nov 11, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Manchester United
manager Jose Mourinho has taken a veiled swipe at Manchester City star Sergio
Aguero before Sunday’s derby showdown at the Etihad Stadium.
Mourinho said of Aguero that “there are little things in his game I am not
a fan of”, although he declined to elaborate further when asked.
Aguero, City’s all-time leading scorer, was criticised heavily by Mourinho
after a 0-0 draw with United at the Etihad in April 2017.
United midfielder Marouane Fellaini was sent off for a headbutt on the
Argentina international, with Mourinho suggesting the striker’s reaction had
been over-dramatic.
“I saw Aguero in the tunnel but (there was) no broken nose, no broken
head, (and) his face is nice as always,” Mourinho said at the time.
Mourinho was quick to pay tribute to Aguero’s qualities as a goalscorer
before United’s latest clash with arch rivals City, but he dropped a strong
hint that he believes there is a dark side to his game.
“I only fear when I play against him. I admire him because of his
fantastic qualities,” Mourinho said.
“There are little things in his game that I am not a big fan of, but the
numbers speak by themselves. The number of goals he scores.
“It is not about scoring for one season, it is about scoring goals in your
career. It is about scoring goals in a different league, like the Spanish
league. Clearly he is a goalscorer all over the world.”
Asked what it was about Aguero he was not a fan of, Mourinho responded: “I
keep (that) for me.”
Meanwhile, the United manager made what appeared to be a reference to
City’s spending when discussing his own squad rebuilding job at Old Trafford.
Mourinho has spent an estimated o370 million ($480 million) on players
since arriving at United in May 2016, while City manager Pep Guardiola is
thought to have spent around o485 million over the same period.
– Case for the defence –
United have spent extensively in central defence, midfield and attack
during Mourinho’s reign, although the manager chose to focus on the full-back
positions, an area in which City invested heavily in the summer of 2017, when
they signed Kyle Walker, Benjamin Mendy and Danilo.
Mourinho cited the example of Luke Shaw, a player who is now a regular in
the United side after a long spell struggling for form, as an example of his
ability to develop players on his books rather than dip into the transfer
market for a replacement.
“If I need a full-back and I buy four, it is easier,” Mourinho said.
“If I need a full-back because I am not happy with Luke Shaw’s level, the
easiest thing is to buy four. Some clubs can buy four.”
City have only bought three full-backs under Guardiola, but no other
Premier League club has spent as much money in that position over the past
three years, suggesting that they were the target of Mourinho’s comments.
“We didn’t buy a left-back for three years. We were wishing and working
for Luke Shaw to be that left-back, but during that process we played Matteo
Darmian, we played Ashley Young, we played Marcos Rojo,” he said.
“We didn’t buy four. There is a difference. To buy four you only need good
scouting and money. To make players takes more time.”
United go into Sunday’s derby having won three games in a row, reducing
talk of a crisis that, at one stage in early October, looked as if it might
cost Mourinho his job.
The former Chelsea boss says fevered talk of problems at Old Trafford
comes with the territory of managing such a prestigious club.
“It is Manchester United’s fault. When I say fault, I mean for the right
reasons,” he said.
“It is the history of the club that makes one defeat become a crisis. It
is the history, the prestige.”