While Alex Ferguson still can’t believe his team got knocked out of the Champions League because of a red card that he still feels was way too harsh on him, Jose Mourinho is playing it cool, letting everyone know just how un-special the win over Manchester United was for him and Real Madrid.
We’ll begin with the smiling half of the duo, Mourinho, who can’t stop winning, and grinning, of late. The Barcelona demolitions, the Champions League success and coming back to the second spot in the league. The rumors of him staying were countered with new ones, suggesting a secret agreement has already been reached between Mourinho and the board, sending him off to a new job at the end of the season, no matter what title(s) he ends up with.
Yes it was a good week with three good wins but I’ve had bigger, better wins. Maybe you can understand why I’m not over the moon because we won at Old Trafford. It was, of course, an important win and I know we can go on from here to win the Champions League. But I also know we can be out in the next round because the Champions League is full of good teams. So I am calm and I am cool.
For Jose Mourinho, it’s always about him. In the interview with the Sun, Mourinho said that the run at the end of the 2009-2010 season, winning the Italian Cup, League title and Champions League with three consecutive wins is the best stretch he ever remembers for himself. He doesn’t talk about what the win over United meant or didn’t for Real Madrid.
It’s always about the title he’s won, gonna win and what wins mean for him. His next job, his past jobs. The club is inferior to him, which is part of Mourinho’s charm and appeal, but also part of his destructive influence when things don’t go as planned.
On the other side of the knockout stage clash was Alex Ferguson, the biggest bully of them all when it comes to treating referees and assistants, who pulls off constant pressure before, during and after matches on the FA, officials and other teams. It’s funny how he remembers all the time he was “screwed over”, when most of the footballing viewers see it a little bit differently.
Maybe a different angle for the referee would have made a difference, and Nani wouldn’t have been sent off. But Rafael should have been sent off against Bayern three years ago, and Ferguson still isn’t over that. Rafael should have been sent off against Real Madrid as well, but Ferguson comfortably forgot about that. As always, looking for sore losers, United and their manager is usually the place to go to.
It’s hard to keep your faith when you see what’s happened the last few years. It’s the third time we’ve been knocked out because of that. It’s not easy to take but we’re Manchester United and we have to get on with it. We now have an important issue of an FA Cup tie on Sunday. That’s three European Cups we’ve been knocked out of due to refereeing decisions. We would have won two of them. I have absolutely no doubt about that.