Awkward: Mourinho’s Reaction When Sir Alex Played For A Draw vs Real Madrid In 2013
REUTERS/Juan Medina
The much awaited clash of the Reds on Saturday ended in a stalemate, as Liverpool were restricted to just a point whilst Man Utd ‘parked the bus’ at Anfield.
The El Classico equivalent of England disappointed fans of both sides, as they witnessed a rather boring defensive display with rare encounters of an adrenaline rush. Though David De Gea’s incredible form played a vital role in United’s favour, viewers were significantly more focused on the ‘boring’ performance offered by them.
Meanwhile, though Jose Mourinho is widely known for his defensive approach towards intimidating sides, everything becomes even more awkward if we a take a look back to his Real Madrid days, when they faced the Mancunian giants in the last-16 of the UEFA Champions League back in 2013.
The clash of the record champions of each nation ended in a 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu, which left the Portuguese frustrated. De Gea was yet again a hero and performed incredibly well to keep the Galacticos out. However, the then-Los Blancos boss was quick to address his dissatisfaction, and said something that seems very hypocritical today.
“They came here to defend and not to concede goals or space. They didn’t play to win,” Mourinho mocked. “We have players of great potential and we can score goals. I don’t feel pressure. At Old Trafford we have the perfect conditions to win.”
Fans were quick to address the change in mentality of the United boss, and accused him for producing a boring display of such an awaited fixture. Consequently, opinions were divided, and so were fans as they took to Twitter to express their thoughts on the situation.
Neil Custis: "When you talk about parking the bus, I think of desperate defending. This is Man Utd's seventh clean sheet in eight games. They were totally comfortable defending yesterday."
— Rahul Singh (@forevruntd) October 15, 2017
https://twitter.com/la_OK3/status/919197016957358080
https://twitter.com/GeorgeLampshire/status/919194307277533185
https://twitter.com/writtenoff_mufc/status/919182095750172672
https://twitter.com/ManUtd_HQ/status/919487306595209216
https://twitter.com/feranmi_4aces/status/919291895980929024
Nevertheless, a point is a point, and in a competitive league like the Premier League, even a draw can be capitalised upon towards the end of the campaign. The Manchester outfit currently sits second in the league table, in hopes of catching up to bitter rivals Man City, who currently lead the race for the title.
Written by Ashish Sreejith 
Have had two addictions in life- playing football and watching football. Usually described as introverted but not when it comes to speaking and writing about the beautiful game of football.