“He is an outstanding manager.”
Manchester United's Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho holds a press conference. (Photo: AFP)
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has come forward in support of Jose Mourinho after the Portuguese was sacked by Premier League giants Manchester United on Tuesday.
Both Guardiola and Mourinho had a fierce rivalry during their tenure with La Liga giants Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively for three years.
There were also fears that they would reignite their rivalry after Mourinho joined United soon after Guardiola was appointed at City in 2016. However, the duo has been friendlier during their Premier League years.
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Speaking to media after Mourinho’s sacking Guardiola said, “I am on his side.”
“As managers, we are alone. They [clubs] contact us to try to win and when you don’t win I know what happens,” he added.
Guardiola further said, “I always say I am in the position of the manager and I know exactly what they can feel and always I am there because we feel alone. All the pressure is on our shoulders. But he has a lot of experience, he is a top man and he will come back soon and we are going to play again.”
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp feels Jose Mourinho is still an “outstanding manager”, despite his sacking.
“He is a very competitive guy, very ambitious,” Klopp said. “He has all my respect, [he has been] unbelievably successful. I can imagine the last few months especially were not a joy for anybody, especially him. It is not nice to face all these questions every day. That is a problem.”
Klopp further said, “But nobody can take away all the things he has won. Nothing can take that away. I hope, personally, he has that in his mind when he leaves and not a few other things that happened in the last few months.”
“He is an outstanding manager.”
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