Manchester - Manajer Manchester United , Jose Mourinho, mengungkap alasan skuatnya sulit bersaing dengan Manchester Cty. Dia menyindir sikap petinggi timnya yang kurang royal berbelanja pemain ketika periode transfer yang sehingga membuat MU tak sesuperior City.
Manchester City menghabiskan dana 225 juta pound sterling (Rp 4,08 triliun) untuk membeli total delapan pemain pada bursa transfer musim panas 2017, yang beberapa di antaranya adalah Kyle Walker dan Benjamin Mendy.
Manajemen Manchester City mengeluarkan total dana 97 juta pound sterling (Rp 1,75 triliun) untuk memboyong kedua bek sayap tersebut. Sikap royal petinggi klub dalam menginvestasikan uangnya berbanding lurus dengan pencapaian skuat Pep Guardiola saat ini.
Manchester City mengklaim peringkat teratas karena mendulang 55 poin di klasemen sementara Premier League. Mereka berpotensi unggul 15 angka dari Manchester United yang menghuni urutan kedua, andai menang saat bersua Newcastle United, Kamis (27/12/2017) dini hari WIB.
"Ketika berbicara mengenai klub seperti Manchester United, apakah Anda berpikir AC Milan bukanlah tim sebesar kami? Apakah Anda berpikir Real Madrid juga bukanlah tim besar? Ada banyak klub besar. Anda mengatakan klub besar, saya pun tahu apa itu tim besar," kata Mourinho.
Jesse Lingard Beri Bukti Layak Huni Skuat Inti Manchester United https://t.co/SDP9prKiOb pic.twitter.com/GyrbMGqSJE
"Satu hal adalah klub besar dan di sisi lain adalah tim sepak bola besar yang Anda tahu bukan salah satu yang terbaik di dunia. Jadi ketika berbicara mengenai tanggung jawab untuk memenangi Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur tidak memiliki kewajiban tersebut," ucap Mourinho.
"Tottenham Hotspur bukanlah klub yang memiliki sejarah yang sama dengan kami. Begitu juga dengan Chelsea dan Arsenal. Manchester City membeli bek sayap seharga para penyerang. Jadi ketika berbicara tentang tim besar di sepak bola, Anda berbicara tentang sejarah klub itu," ujar Mourinho.
"Pemain yang kami datangkan belum cukup. Harga untuk klub-klub besar berbeda dengan para tim lainnya. Jadi klub-klub besar yang memiliki sejarah prestasi biasanya dihukum di pasar transfer pemain," tutur Mourinho.
Selama bursa transfer musim panas kemarin, Manchester United menghabiskan dana sekitar 148 juta pound sterling (Rp 2,68 triliun) untuk menggaet tiga pemain, yakni Romelu Lukaku, Nemanja Matic, dan Victor Lindelof.
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José Mourinho pointed to how Manchester City have bought full-backs for the usual value of strikers and said Manchester United’s investment of close to £300m since he arrived is not enough to compete, after his side could only draw 2-2 with Burnley at Old Trafford.
Although the result cut the deficit to City to 12 points after United battled back from 2-0 down at half-time, thanks to two goals from the substitute Jesse Lingard, Pep Guardiola’s side can stretch their lead to 15 if they win at Newcastle United on Wednesday night.
Afterwards, Mourinho was reminded that United have dropped eight points from their past five matches and was asked whether such a gap might be unacceptable for a club of United’s stature.
Jesse Lingard’s double rescues point for Manchester United against Burnley Read more
“One thing is a big club and another thing is a big football team. They are two different things,” he said. “We are in the second year of trying to rebuild a football team that is not one of the best teams in the world. Manchester City buy full-backs for the price of strikers. When you speak about big football clubs, you are speaking about the history of the club.”
When it was put to Mourinho he has invested £300m since taking over – it is actually closer to £261m – he responded: “It is not enough. And the price for the big clubs, the price for the big clubs is different from the other clubs. So the big, historical clubs are normally punished in the market for that history.
“When you tell [describe] a club like Manchester United, do you think Milan is not as big as us? You think they are not as big as we are? Do you think Real Madrid are not as big as we are? You think Inter Milan is not as big as we are? There are many big clubs and you say big clubs, I know what is a big club.”
Mourinho was then asked if he intended to spend a lot of money in the January transfer window but left the room before answering.
City spent £130m on the defenders Benjamin Mendy, Kyle Walker and Danilo in the summer, while United paid more than £140m for Romelu Lukaku, Nemanja Matic and Victor Lindelof. Having seen his side miss out on victory against 10-man Leicester City on Saturday following an injury-time goal, Mourinho was once more angered by their defensive display.
United trailed Burnley to strikes from Ashley Barnes and Steven Defour and Mourinho criticised his players for allowing the visitors to take the lead in the third minute after Lukaku failed to clear. “Another ‘s’ goal. I don’t need to say the other letters of the word,” he said. “That is what we are having now, lots of ‘s’ goals against so that has an impact in the game.
“The end product of so much dominance, two goals, is a miserable number. The boys do what they can, they are trying hard with the problems and injuries we have. I am not happy with the result, and against Leicester, but I am happy with my players. The quality of our play, the risk that we took today and also against Leicester, the team that deserved to win both matches is us.”
MANCHESTER, KOMPAS.com - Manajer Manchester United , Jose Mourinho , kesal karena timnya hanya bermain imbang 2-2 melawan Burnley pada pertandingan pekan ke-20 Premier League - kasta teratas Liga Inggris, di Stadion Old Trafford, Selasa (26/12/2017).
Pada laga bertajuk boxing day itu, Burnley berhasil unggul dua gol terlebih dahulu melalui sontekan Ashley Barnes (menit ke-3) dan tendangan bebas Steven Defour (36'). Tuan rumah baru berhasil membalas dua gol pada babak kedua melalui pemain pengganti, Jesse Lingard, pada menit ke-53 dan ke-90+1'.
Pada pertandingan tersebut, Manchester United tampil sangat mendominasi laga dengan 71 persen penguasaan bola dan melepaskan 23 tembakan yang enam di antaranya tepat sasaran.
(Baca Juga: Burnley, Spesialis Pencuri Poin di Sarang Para Raksasa )
Sedangkan Burnley yang lebih banyak bertahan hanya melepas tiga tembakan yang dua di antaranya tepat sasaran. Selain tendangan bebas Defour yang sangat pantas berbuah gol, Mourinho menilai Burnley tidak memiliki peluang lain untuk mencetak gol.
Ia menyebut bahwa Burnley hanya memiliki 1,5 peluang tepat sasaran karena gol dari Barnes di awal pertandingan datang dari pantulan-pantulan dan kesalahan dari para pemain bertahan Manchester United.
"Pendapat saya? Satu tim memiliki 1,5 tembakan dan mencetak dua gol. Sedangkan tim lainnya yang menguasai bola, menciptakan peluang, dan bermain dengan satu bek selama 45 menit hanya mencetak dua gol," ucap Mourinho seperti dikutip BolaSport.com dari Sky Sports .
(Baca Juga: Jesse Lingard Penerus Kesuburan Para Pemain Penggati Manchester United )
"Namun, saya tidak ingin mengambil pujian semua itu karena begitulah mereka bermain. Saya juga tidak ingin mengkritik, justru memuji mereka mereka, tetapi tim saya sangat layak meraih kemenangan," tuturnya.
Hasil ini membuat Manchester United untuk kali kedua secara berturut-turut meraih hasil imbang dengan skor identik, 2-2, setelah sebelumnya juga ditahan oleh Leicester City.
Berikutnya, Manchester United akan menjamu Southampton di Stadion Old Trafford pada laga terakhir di 2017 pada Sabtu (30/12/2017). (Verdi Hendrawan)
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A right-back
Antonio Valencia will be 33 at the start of next season and United supporters expect a young heir to be competing with him, particularly after Jose Mourinho commented that City 'buy the full-backs for the price of the strikers'.
Ashley Young's United renaissance began at right-back against Basel and he was their best performer on Boxing Day. Despite Young's consistent class this term, he is 32 and still viewed as a stop-gap on the right or the left.
United took a passing interest in Serge Aurier early last year before it was overstated in the French media as Paris Saint-Germain attempted to smoke out a buyer in Tottenham.
Mourinho had the St Etienne right-back Kevin Malcuit scouted but passed on the Frenchman and he switched to Lille. PSG's Belgian international Thomas Meunier has already curried favour with United's online community by revealing he plays as them on Fifa 18.
A left-back
Luke Shaw has made a triumphant return to the first-team and was one of a handful of players who performed against Burnley. He could still salvage his United career but doubt lingers as long as Mourinho is at the club and the left-back position is still very much owned by Young.
United are monitoring Tottenham's Danny Rose, amid reported interest in Juventus' Alex Sandro, and scouted Celtic's Kieran Tierney before he inked a new deal. Mourinho wanted a left wing-back in the summer and possibly intended on converting Ivan Perisic into one had United met Internazionale's £50million valuation.
A central midfielder (or two)
Marouane Fellaini is 30 and undecided about his United future. Michael Carrick, 36, may be forced to retire in the summer. Nemanja Matic and Ander Herrera are in their late 20s. Mourinho praised Jesse Lingard and Henrikh Mkhitaryan for bringing dynamism to the side on Tuesday and more is required in central midfield.
Mourinho considered Renato Sanches and Blaise Matuidi during the summer United brought Paul Pogba back and is seeking a creative option to supplement the France international. United scouts have cast their eyes over Borussia Dortmund duo Julian Weigl and Christian Pulisic.
Timothy Fosu-Mensah and Andreas Pereira will return from year-long loans in the summer and could reduce the average age, only Mourinho appears to consider Fosu-Mensah as a right-back and Pereira has started fewer United games in three-and-a-half years than Scott McTominay has in seven months.
A winger
That 'fourth player' who eluded Mourinho in the summer was Perisic and United are now looking at a markedly different profile of winger in Bordeaux's Malcom. Perisic is 28, played in European Championships and a World Cup and starting for a title-chasing Inter. Malcom is 20, uncapped by Brazil and playing for Ligue 1's 15th-placed side.
The opposites continue: Malcom is left-footed and plays on the right wing, which has become United's biggest problem position. United considered Pedro and Sadio Mane to fill that void before Mourinho insisted on Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who preferred to play in the No.10 role before he was exiled again. United have not ended their interest in Gareth Bale, either.
A playmaker
The specific term used among Mourinho's inner circle is 'magician'. Mesut Ozil, with his 67.2 million social media followers would be magical for the United suits and could arrive on a free transfer, which would please the Glazer family. Ozil turns 30 next season but worked with Mourinho for three years, 'loves' him and the pair have embraced before and after games since they moved to England in 2013. Ozil also fits the 'established' profile Mourinho has opted for with most of his United additions.
United are resigned to Antoine Griezmann joining Barcelona, which partly explains why they have not ended their pursuit of Bale.
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