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Jose Mourinho taking inspiration from tennis as he remains relaxed in Manchester United's pursuit of City

City, who sit eight points clear at the top of the table, could open up a double-digit gap on second-placed United but Mourinho isn't concerned

Mark Critchley
Northern Football Correspondent
Friday 01 December 2017 15:05 GMT
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Jose Mourinho isn't concerned about Manchester City and is fully focused on United
Jose Mourinho isn't concerned about Manchester City and is fully focused on United

Jose Mourinho is not worried about the seemingly unstoppable form of Manchester City and, having been inspired by a tennis biopic, is only focusing on taking three points from a trip to Arsenal this weekend.

The Manchester United manager renews his long-standing rivalry with Arséne Wenger at the Emirates on Saturday, with the match already being billed as a 'must-win' if his side retain hopes of winning the Premier League title.

City, who sit eight points clear at the top of the table, could open up a double-digit gap on second-placed United if Mourinho's men lose and the leaders beat West Ham United on Sunday.

Mourinho, however, is not concerning himself with the form of his rivals and, after watching a film about the famous rivalry between tennis' Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe, he has learned to take each match as it comes.

“I play a game at a time,” the United manager said at his pre-match press conference on Friday, when asked whether he was concerned about City's lead at the top.

“Yesterday I was watching an interesting movie, Bjorn Borg vs John McEnroe. Borg's coach was telling him that all the time. One point at a time, think just about one point. I tell my players to think just about the game.

Mourinho added: “It doesn't matter what comes after, doesn't matter what happened before. It's just this game. It's Arsenal. We don't think how many points we are in front of them or how many points behind the leader.

“We don't think about that, just Arsenal. It's difficult enough for us to be focused on other things. Focus on this game.”

Mourinho is unconcerned with City's relentless form 

Mourinho was asked whether he provides the McEnroe to Wenger's Borg, but an amused United manager refused to make the comparison.

“No, I don't play tennis,” he said. “I love tennis, but I don't play tennis.”

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