Jose Mourinho

Fans made Jose's week easy

Friday 31 August 2018 16:24

Jose Mourinho has thanked Manchester United fans for their continued support and has expressed how their response to Monday's defeat against Tottenham Hotspur created a positive mood within the club this week.

Speaking to the media ahead of Sunday's Premier League trip to Burnley, the manager highlighted the impact that fans can have on the players when results are going against the Reds.

"Normally when I win, I'm the first one to leave, but after a defeat at home, an important defeat at home, I had to go to the pitch to see the reaction," Mourinho said, referring back to the immediate aftermath of the Spurs match.

'We are passionate as a team' Video

'We are passionate as a team'

"With the way the team played and fought, I think the fans decided to have that kind of reaction," said Jose...

"I felt really humbled and the team felt really supported and probably because of that, this week was not a difficult week at all.

"It was a week when people were positive," he continued. "People were convinced that we deserved much more than what we got on Monday. That is why people are positive, even though we know that we have another very difficult match this weekend."

 

Despite Spurs inflicting the Reds' second successive defeat, the United manager believes the fans in the stadium on Monday were able to see an improvement on the previous performance against Brighton. He felt the supporters admired the tenacity and fighting spirit from his players.

"I think the reaction of the fans was not for me," he continued. "The reaction of the fans was for the players, it was for the team. They were behind the team from the first minute, because the team was playing magnificent. 

"A defeat always means zero points, whether we play good or bad, but I think the fans decided to have that reaction because of the way the team played and the way the team fought. The team showed everything, they showed passion."

Jose: What I learned from watching Burnley Video

Jose: What I learned from watching Burnley

"I went to Turf Moor to see if Sean Dyche is trying to change the direction of the Burnley team," explained Jose...

When asked by one journalist if Spurs fans were right to claim he was no longer 'The Special One', the manager remained bullish and retorted: "They didn't have that song when we beat them at Wembley a couple of months ago [in the FA Cup semi-final].

"They had a big dream to win the cup final. It was a trophy they had a big dream to win, because they don't win many. But that day at Wembley, the United fans were singing 'The Special One', and of course the Spurs fans were not singing that."