José Mourinho says he is a calmer manager than Liverpool's Jürgen Klopp but is still emotional enough to sprint along the touchline to celebrate a Manchester United goal.
Mourinho’s team host Klopp’s on Sunday hoping to cut the gap to the second-placed side to two points. The Portuguese famously ran along the Old Trafford turf in March 2004 to mark Costinha’s injury time goal for Porto that knocked United out of the Champions League.
Klopp, who can be particularly animated in the technical area, stated on Friday that he and Mourinho share the same kind of “angryness”. Asked about this, United’s manager said: “I’m not sure he is so calm as I am. I just think we like to win like every manager likes to win. Everyone has his own personality, his own style of coaching, of leading, probably we have some qualities that are similar – for sure we have other qualities that make us really different persons and managers. Looking to this match he wants to play the game as much as I want, he is as much motivated as I am.
“Yeah I can run [along the touchline]. Yes I can still run it’s no problem. The problem is to score a winning goal in the last minute.”
Mourinho is not apprehensive about Sunday’s game. “So many big matches [for me], I wouldn’t say nervous. No not at all,” he said. “But that desire to play, that desire that the match be tomorrow and not Sunday. I have to wait two days for this game. It is three points, plus the emotional side of it. The emotional side of it, the fans and the players that are in the club for a long time. I think they understand the feeling better than I do.
“But I’m here for a few months and I understand step by step the dimension of the feeling, that good rivalry. I always feel that rivalry is a very good thing for football.”
On whether Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who has been ill, and Marcos Rojo, who had a muscle strain, are available Mourinho said: “I think so. I cannot confirm because there is two days left but they are closer to being ready than not ready.”
Mourinho added there has still be no acceptable offers for Memphis Depay, with Lyon one club who have lodged a bid. “The offer we had is far from being reasonable for us. He is our player. If nothing happen he is one more for us,” the 53-year-old said.
(Guardian service)
