Key Quotes: Jose's Press Conference

Jose Mourinho addressed the media on Friday afternoon ahead of Manchester United’s eagerly anticipated Premier League clash with Liverpool.

The boss gave his detailed thoughts surrounding Saturday’s huge game at Old Trafford against our fierce rivals from Merseyside in his press conference at the Aon Training Complex. Read the main points below...

DESPERATE FOR VICTORY
“I want to win, of course I want to win. It's a big match, it's a big opponent. It's the team that's just behind us [in the Premier League table]. It's a team that is already in the Champions League last eight, so of course it's a big match. But, I'm not very good on that rivalry, every opponent is a rival for me.”

‘IT IS JUST A BIG MATCH’
“In my mentality, every match is the same. I'm not very good on that culture - ‘this rivalry is special, that match is special’. I've never been very good at it. I never look to AC Milan as the biggest rival, I never look at Atletico [Madrid] as the enemy, I never look to Spurs or Arsenal as the big rival, I've never been any good on it. For me, it is just a big match. Two historical clubs, not just in England, but in the world. In this moment, [there are] important points for the top four, important points for second position, which is better than third or fourth place. I still don’t look to some matches as special opponents. It's just a big match, because we are speaking about two big clubs.”

‘I KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO THE SUPPORTERS’
“I know [the importance of beating Liverpool to the fans] but I don't think the fans will be happy if I say that Liverpool is the biggest match of the season and then Sevilla is not a big match. Everybody wants to go to Wembley for the [FA Cup] semi-finals and then I say that Brighton is not as big as the Liverpool match. My job is to prepare my players the best I can for every match, then a fan is a fan, a professional is a professional and we have to face every match with the same mentality. I don't get that a match means 10 points. No – the match is three points and Liverpool is a historical rival, yes, but in a positive way for me.”

FANS CAN GIVE US A PLATFORM TO PERFORM
“It helps. At Crystal Palace, I can imagine, if you are losing 2-0, our away fans would feel disapproval or criticism or support. We were 2-0 down and we only felt support. And at 2-1 we kept feeling more belief and, at 2-2, we were feeling they wanted us to go for it, so they can help and, of course, Old Trafford, is a huge majority of Manchester United fans, so they can help.”

NEXT THREE HOME GAMES ARE EQUALLY IMPORTANT
“I don't [know which one is more important]. Honestly, I don't. We have three matches now: Liverpool, Sevilla and Brighton. If you ask me, if I could choose one to be the most important one, I can't choose. For me, the most important one is Liverpool, because it is the next. But, the other two are knockout, the other two means we are in the Champions League quarter-finals or not and we go to Wembley in a semi-final [in the FA Cup] or not.”

REACTING TO PUNDITS’ OPINIONS ON HOW UNITED SHOULD PLAY
“Some of the guys with an opinion, they couldn't resolve their own problems when they were managers, so they are giving opinions like they have solutions for everything. But it is not like that. They are in a position where they can give opinions about everything. Sometimes I read [them], sometimes I don't, sometimes I listen. Honestly, this week I was more focused on enjoying the Champions League and Europa League and preparing for my match than focusing on opinions. But, of course, everybody has an opinion.”