Jose Mourinho reveals why Manchester United can’t compete with Manchest
Following Manchester United’s abysmal 2-2 draw with Burnley manager Jose Mourinho was not happy.
Complaining of the quality of his Manchester United squad, Jose Mourinho said that the club had not ‘spent enough’ money on the team.
"“Spending £300m is not enough,” he said. “The price for the big clubs is different than for the other clubs. The big historical clubs are normally punished in the market because of that history."
Manchester United have spent an eye-watering £286m on players since Mourinho took over. Including a then-world record £89 for Paul Pogba in the summer of 2016.
This past summer United bought Romelu Lukaku for £75m, and spent £40m and £35m on Nemanja Matic and Victor Lindelof, respectively.
If that isn’t ‘enough’ then quite honestly, I’m not sure what is.
Manchester United currently sit second in the Premier League potentially 15 points off of league leaders Manchester City. And Jose believes City’s success comes from their willingness to spend in the market.
"“We are in the second year of trying to rebuild a football team that you know is not one of the best teams in the world,” said Mourinho. “Manchester City buy full-backs for the price of strikers.”"
Pep Guardiola has transformed Manchester City in the last year and a half. The BBC reports that he has spent £361m on players. Including £200m this past summer window that saw them bring in three fullbacks for over a combined fee of £120m.
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Despite the relatively small discrepancy in transfer spending, Mourinho is being a bit outlandish here. He has spent more money in the last 18 months than most clubs have in their entire history.
Pep has once again outsmart and out-managed Mourinho. The Spaniard has spent his money wisely. Investing in young, high potential players such as Leroy Sane, Benjamin Mendy, and Bernardo Silva.
Jose went for players in their prime, like Mkhitaryan, and he paid the price for it. Matic and Mkhitaryan were both expensive players who are closer to the end of their careers than the beginning.
For a total team transformation, Mourinho should follow the plan laid out by Pep. It’s paying dividends, as City look like the best team in Europe.
Next: Three takeaways from Manchester United 2-2 draw with Burnley
When asked if eight points out of a possible 15 from the last five matches was acceptable for Manchester United, Mourinho fired back citing the struggles clubs like AC Milan and Real Madrid are having this season.
"“When you tell a club like Man. Utd., do you think Milan is not as big as us? You think Real Madrid are not as big as we are?” said Mourinho. “I know what a big club is. One thing is a big club and another thing is a big football team. They are two different things.”"