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MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) – Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has mastered the art of the "double-edged compliment" and his praise for Juventus, after Tuesday's 1-0 defeat by the Italians, will have made uncomfortable listening for executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward.
Soccer Football – Champions League – Group Stage – Group H – Manchester United vs Juventus – Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain – October 23, 2018 Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho before the match Action Pictures via Reuters / Jason Cairnduff
United were outclassed by the A Giants Series and Mourinho made no effort to sugar-coat that reality, but they were a thinly-veiled critic of the club's direction.
"Juventus is champions for seven years, I think seven years in a row, two Champions League finals in the last four or five years, and they have more, they want more," the trainer Inter Milan coach told reporters.
"They want more. They had (Gonzalo) Higuain and (Paulo) Dybala, they want more. They go for Ronaldo. They go for the best players in the world. Big club with a big past, "he said.
Mourinho conceded his team was "a bit" behind the level of Juventus and the elite.
"To go to the Juventus level? Barcelona level? Real Madrid level? How can you reach that level? Manchester City level? How can you reach this level? "He pondered.
Mourinho spent much more than 400 million pounds when he arrived at Old Trafford in 2016.
Asked if United needed to reach the level of those clubs Mourinho replied bluntly "Yes".
The Portuguese's biggest frustration was the failure of a major reinforcement in the center of defense and it was perhaps no coincidence that he highlighted Juve's two center-halves, Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci for particular praise.
"Mr. Bonucci and Mr. Chiellini could go to Harvard University and give it to a central defender, he said.
Mourinho admitted when the draw was made he thought United would be battling with Valencia for runners-up spot behind Juve.
"We knew it would be a fight with Valencia for second position," the Portuguese, whose side are now five points behind Juventus but two ahead of Valencia in Group H, said.
Despite the defeat, Mourinho was satisfied with his side's performance.
"We're playing against one of the biggest winners and we've got a different result, especially because we're playing in the second half," he said.
"Juventus managed to hide the ball from us and frustrated our intention to be positive. The second half we were more aggressive and that's a big effort by the boys. We did not really have options on the bench to try. "
Reporting by Simon Evans; editing by Martyn Herman
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