Jose Excited By United's Liverpool Rivalry

An intrigued Jose Mourinho has compared Manchester United's rivalry with Liverpool to Real Madrid against Barcelona, the Milan derby and Porto versus Benfica.

The United manager took part in all three of those famous fixtures while working in Spain, Italy and Portugal earlier in his decorated career. Mourinho is now preparing to take his new team to Anfield on Monday night, when the gaze of the football world will be fixed firmly on Merseyside.

These matches between English football’s two most successful clubs always generate white-hot atmospheres and the manager is clearly excited by the environment he is about to enter.

“I look forward to it, yes,” Mourinho told reporters during his press conference at the Aon Training Complex on Friday. “I always like to play at Anfield. I have won big matches and lost big matches there, so I cannot say I like to go there as I am always successful because that is not true. I like to go there because I like the atmosphere and the characteristics of the matches.

“Being Manchester United manager means something more. I cannot compare the historical rivalry between my previous clubs and Liverpool to United and Liverpool. It is a big match that can be comparable to Inter versus Milan, Real versus Barcelona and maybe even Porto versus Benfica.”

Of course Mourinho has been to Anfield before as Chelsea boss and the 53-year-old has generally been booed by the Liverpool supporters trying to give their team an advantage. When asked if he is fired up by such a reception, the manager said: “It does not make a difference.

“I go there to play my game, do my work and enjoy my work which normally I do. I think the fans should also go to enjoy, support their team and be negative and create a bad atmosphere for the opposition, but in the limits of the safety and the respect. I think that is going to happen.”

Mourinho went on to endorse the joint statement which was issued by United and Liverpool on Thursday, urging both sets of fans to refrain from and help eradicate offensive behaviour. He insisted that the major tragedies which both clubs have endured should never be disrespected by the opposing supporters.

“We have some 'football tragedies', if you can say it like that, like when you lose a big game or a player makes a big mistake - you can make fun of it,” Jose said.

“The human tragedy, however, is something much more serious and not the thing somebody should use on a football pitch. These tragedies need our respect, so I would be really sad if that was a negative point in such a big match.”