Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has conceded his side are far off rivals Liverpool in all aspects.
The Red Devils are currently 16 points behind Liverpool in the Premier League and could be closer to the bottom of the table than the top should they lose to their rivals on Sunday.
How far behind Liverpool are Man Utd? Five key things to know…
- United are currently sixth in the Premier League with a goal difference of +2.
- By contrast, Liverpool are second and remain the only unbeaten side in the Premier League.
- Liverpool spent £170.8m in the summer transfer window compared to Man Utd’s £71m.
- Mourinho believes United are behind their rivals in every aspect, not just due to money being spent.
- Liverpool (six) have conceded the fewest goals of any team in Europe’s top five leagues this season.
United had a fairly quiet summer in the transfer market, bringing in Diogo Dalot and Fred for £19m and £52m respectively to add to Lee Grant’s free transfer.
In contrast, Liverpool spent big on goalkeeper Alisson, Fabinho and Xherdan Shaqiri to add to the already agreed purchase of Naby Keita and January signing of Virgil van Dijk.
Speaking to reporters ahead of Sunday’s game at Anfield, Mourinho spoke of the differences between his side and Jurgen Klopp’s: It’s not just about the money they spent in the summer, it’s about many things.
“It’s not just about spending money and reinforcing the squad. A football team is more than that.
“A football team is not just about spending money. A football team is a little bit like a house too, a house is not just about buying your furniture.
“You have to do work in the house and when the house is ready, then you buy the furniture you spend money on the best possible furniture and then you are ready to live in an amazing house.”
Reporters also focused on Liverpool’s squad finally being moulded into Klopp’s image, in the fourth season under the German as the Reds push for the Premier League title.
When asked how far United are from being in his image, Mourinho replied: “Far.”
“It’s not just about football players,” he added when asked to expand on his answer.
Mourinho’s dig at trophy-less Liverpool side
Despite speaking of how far his Manchester United side are from Liverpool, Mourinho still had time to have a dig at the Reds.
Speaking about how good this current Liverpool side is, Mourinho told Soccer AM: “I played against a Liverpool that were European champions.
“I don’t know if it’s (Klopp’s side) better or it’s not better.
“I just know that the other one was European champion and this one has won nothing.
“So I think I have to respect the ones that did it, and I have to respect the ambition and the ones that didn’t.
“In the end, it’s about respect.”
Mourinho had a heated rivalry with Liverpool during his time as Chelsea manager, with the two sides facing each other five times in three consecutive seasons across all competitions, including a Champions League clash each year.
Liverpool beat Mourinho’s Chelsea in the 2004/05 Champions League semi-finals, en route to winning the competition in Istanbul.
The post Liverpool are “far” ahead of Man Utd in all aspects – Jose Mourinho appeared first on Squawka News.
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