José Mourinho will welcome the hostile atmosphere that greets him at Liverpool on Monday but has urged fans not to taunt one another about the Hillsborough and Munich disasters.
The Manchester United manager is particularly disliked by Liverpool supporters after his Chelsea side’s 2-0 win at Anfield in April 2014 derailed the title challenge of Brendan Rodgers’ team, which Mourinho visibly celebrated. He also has unhappy memories of the venue after Luis García’s “ghost goal” in the Champions League semi-final in May 2005 knocked out Chelsea.
“I go there to play my game, to do my work, to enjoy my work, which normally I do,” Mourinho said. “I think the fans should go also to enjoy, to support their team, to create a better atmosphere but in the limits of the safety and respect, and I think that is going to happen.”
The comments referenced Thursday’s joint statement from United and Liverpool that asked fans to help “eradicate offensive behaviour”. Games have been marred by chants referring to the Munich air disaster and Hillsborough.
“In football we have some football tragedies, if you can speak that, which is a big match that you lost, the mistake that some player did, this kind of thing and you can make fun of it in a positive way,” Mourinho said. “But the human tragedy is something much more serious. It’s the last thing somebody should use on a football pitch because they were really big tragedies. I will be really sad in such a big football match if that was a negative point.”
Mourinho is relishing his first involvement in one of English football’s great rivalries. “I look forward to it. I always like to play at Anfield. I won many times there, I also lost. I won big matches, lost big matches so I cannot say I like to go there because I’m always successful, it’s not true. I like the atmosphere, normally the characteristics of the matches.
“Being the Man United manager means something more because we cannot compare the historical rivalry between my previous club and Liverpool, and Man United and Liverpool. It’s just a big match that can be comparable to Inter-Milan, to Real Madrid-Barcelona, maybe Porto–Benfica.
“I have to feel it [the rivalry], I have to play and then take my conclusions but I’m in England for a long time. I never played this match but I play many times against Liverpool, Man United; I understand the dimensions of the club and now I understand better two big historical rivals. The season for me is not about the Anfield match and the Old Trafford match in January. The season is about many matches, many points to win, lose and targets to achieve.”
Mourinho refused to be drawn on Liverpool’s championship prospects or Jürgen Klopp’s abilities. “You have to ask them. They are a good team. I’ve not much to say [about Klopp].”
Of Wayne Rooney, who has lost his starting place at United and now with England, he said: “England’s not my problem. His mental state – it’s good, he’s prepared. He’s training well, he’s positive.”