THERE is an awful lot of bad luck going around at the moment.
Jose Mourinho, the sport’s ultimate trophy-hunter, is being dogged by it.
Apparently, Manchester City were “lucky” to win 2-1 at Old Trafford on December 10 after referee Michael Oliver failed to award a 79th-minute penalty. OK, Jose.
On Wednesday, the Special One belittled Bristol City by claiming seven times in an interview lasting just one minute and 45 seconds that they were “lucky” to win their Carabao Cup quarter- final against United.
The new Mourinho is sounding an awful lot like the old Mourinho.
Sometimes it’s better to accept that you have been beaten fair and square. The big man, a man who won league titles in Portugal, England, Italy and Spain, can do better than this. Much better.
Sure, he made it clear that he did not want to detract from Bristol City’s big night — and yet they were lucky all the same. It was not a particularly humble, dignified, or honourable way to behave after being knocked out.
Defeat, as embarrassing as it is when a club with United’s clout loses against Championship opposition, is not the end of the world. Stuff happens. There was just nothing especially lucky about Bristol City’s spine-tingling 2-1 win at Ashton Gate. Lee Johnson’s side deserved it.
With it went the chance for Mourinho to get his hands on the trophy for a record fifth time.
His blood is boiling at the moment, barely able to keep his composure after Manchester City stretched their lead to 11 points with victory over United.
You can be sure it is eating away at him. Soon enough, City, Arsenal or Chelsea will be parading the first trophy of the season around Wembley.
The Special One has been around long enough to know what happens next because the trophy count has become so important to top bosses.
Last year, Mourinho won three — yes, including the Community Shield — and Manchester City, for all the money lavished on Pep Guardiola’s project, finished empty-handed.
History will not be kind to Mourinho this year. He is one bad loser, well aware the country is in thrall to Pep and his purposeful, dizzying style of football.
United, the team Mourinho has built in his own image, do not have that.
Paul Pogba, the player every pro-Mourinho punter going claimed would have changed the course of the Manchester derby, was on the pitch at Ashton Gate.
The £89million midfielder did not do much, except to clatter a few Robins players when it got a bit heated in the centre of the park.
Pogba is surely one of a number of United players Mourinho was referring to when he claimed they “did not want to be at the office”.
United’s manager was back at his desk yesterday, trying to work out a way to put a positive spin on the season so far. After defeat against City earlier this month, the dressing room set its sights on second place.
The players know that City will not be caught, not in this rampant, ruthless mood.
That will be niggling Mourinho because his stodgy side are way off City’s pace at the top of the Premier League.
That, no doubt, is just a bit of bad luck.
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