Football news - Man Utd legends Paul Scholes and Rio Ferdinand criticise Jose Mourinho again
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ByEurosport
Updated 28/11/2018 at 11:20 GMT
Jose Mourinho had a message for his “lovers” with “electronic dummies” – but the Manchester United manager received yet more criticism from the club’s former players following the unconvincing win over Young Boys.
Paul Scholes
Image credit: Getty Images
United qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League after Marouane Fellaini’s 91st-minute goal sealed a 1-0 win over the Swiss champions.
The result means that Mourinho has qualified for the knock-out stages of the competition in each of the 14 seasons in which he has been involved, with the time he has been absent resulting in United lifting the Europa League in 2017.
Mourinho told BT Sport: "The most important thing is to qualify and for some of my lovers and those that like stats, I am 14 seasons in the Champions League and 14 times my teams have qualified through to the group stages. Just a little curiosity for my lovers and the lovers of the stats."
But studio guests Rio Ferdinand and Paul Scholes were left unimpressed by the Portuguese being in bullish mood, typified by his sensational reaction to Fellaini’s goal as the drinks bottles were left scattered across the touchline.
Ferdinand began: "No one doubts the history he's put down the trophies he's won. None of us sit here and say he was terrible before at Real Madrid or Chelsea - he was fantastic.
"But we're talking about here and now. Why are we looking back at his past stuff? You look forward. You look at what you're doing now. The first part of the interview I thought was spot on. It was the last part of it that leaves a sour taste in your mouth. It comes back to 'me'.
What he's done is taken it away from the poor performance and brought it back to himself, which is understandable if you want to take it away from that aspect of the game, but why do that?
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Rio Ferdinand was left unimpressed by Mourinho's remarks to the media
Image credit: PA Sport
"Just look at your team. Your team are not playing the way they're expected to play. They're not entertaining us. I can't sit here and say this team is entertaining us."
United had 84 per cent possession, but only made their dominance count from a route one piece of play, as Romelu Lukaku flicked on Luke Shaw’s long ball, allowing Fellaini to turn and score via an unseen use of the hand from the Belgian in the build-up.
The sense of growing apathy in the stands was reflected by the attendance at Old Trafford – the crowd of 72,876 was United's lowest in the Champions League for nearly six years.
Scholes added: "It's always 'I' isn't it. 'I won the Champions League. I won the Europa League'. Last time I looked football was a team game.
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Jose Mourinho throws drinks to the ground after seeing his side leave it late to score
Image credit: Reuters
The best attacking teams in the world play attacking football. The way his team is playing now is looking out of date.
"Why does he think he needs to remind us of what he's won. We all know what he's won or what his teams have won."
Mourinho turned on his critics in his post-match press conference having likely been made aware of the conversations being had in the BT Sport studio.
He said: “I would invite those people to sit on the bench as managers.
“But I think maybe it’s better to have lots of holidays in Barbados and go to the television screens and touch the electronic dummies. This is much more comfortable than being on the touchline like we managers are.
“I’m pretty sure a proper manager would never criticise another one for emotional reactions on the touchline because it’s déjà vu for them. For the ones that have a nice life, it’s different.”
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