JOSE MOURINHO called Manchester City ‘foulers’ last night — 24 hours after he branded them divers.
The United boss has put ref Michael Oliver on red alert for today’s derby, pointing the finger at how City’s stars stop counter-attacks.
Mourinho said: “Many times, they need what is called a tactical foul. It is a strategy that they have. I know.
“When they lose the ball, they are many times unbalanced in numbers, they have lots of people surrounding the ball area and they have a very strong transition in the next few seconds after they lose the ball.
“And many times, they need what is called a tactical foul and then it is up to the referee to analyse and make a decision.
“My answer always has to be, ‘The referee has to do his job’ and I cannot speak about the referee.” The Special One has already sparked a row over City players and how they “lose their balance very easily”.
He has also questioned whether Pep Guardiola should be able to wear his yellow ribbon to support Catalan politicians over their fight for independence from Spain.
Leaders City go into this afternoon’s hotly-anticipated showdown eight points clear of second-placed United.
A repeat of last season’s 2-1 win at Old Trafford would see Guardiola’s men almost out of sight. Mourinho says the officials play a key role in derby clashes.
In last season’s fixture, Mourinho insisted Mark Clattenburg should have awarded a penalty for Claudio Bravo’s challenge on Wayne Rooney.
He said: “What did it teach me? It taught me if you make naive mistakes, you are punished by that.
“It taught me also that they always try to do their best but an important referee mistake can affect the game and in that game the result was clearly affected by a big refereeing mistake.
“It was a penalty and a red card to Claudio Bravo, in the beginning of the second half with the result 2-1.”
From The Sun
From The Sun
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