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José Mourinho says he learnt to pick strong teams for the FA Cup after a defeat to Newcastle in 2005.
José Mourinho says he learnt to pick strong teams for the FA Cup after a defeat by Newcastle in 2005 when he was manager of Chelsea. Photograph: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
José Mourinho says he learnt to pick strong teams for the FA Cup after a defeat by Newcastle in 2005 when he was manager of Chelsea. Photograph: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Foreign coaches take time to understand FA Cup, says José Mourinho

This article is more than 7 years old
Manchester United face Blackburn Rovers in fifth round on Sunday
‘Not everybody studies and understands the culture of this country,’ he says

José Mourinho believes that some foreign coaches fail to understand English football’s culture and this can lead to FA Cup upsets, with Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool the highest-profile casualty of this year’s competition.

Mourinho takes Manchester United to Blackburn Rovers for Sunday’s fifth-round match. He is intent on fielding a strong XI and not “throwing it away” as he admits doing when Chelsea’s manager in a tie against Newcastle United. Mourinho selected a weakened side for that match in February 2005 as he was focusing on playing Barcelona in the Champions League and Liverpool in the League Cup final in the next two matches. Chelsea beat Barcelona over two legs and Liverpool but lost 1-0 to Newcastle.

United have a similar schedule. After the trip to Ewood Park they are at St-Étienne for Wednesday’s Europa League last-32 second leg, then face Southampton in Sunday week’s EFL Cup final.

Of the Newcastle game Mourinho said: “Yes, I threw it away. In the same week was the Champions League against Barcelona and the cup final against Liverpool and in the middle of it we had an FA Cup match against Newcastle and I threw it away. I gambled too much.

“I focused too much on Barcelona and Liverpool. It was good because we beat Barcelona and won the final against Liverpool. So it was good. But the feeling that I threw it away was not good. So I don’t throw it away. If I lose, I lose because the opponent was better or because we didn’t play well but I am not going to throw it away.

“We go to Blackburn with that respect. We already played Reading and Wigan from the Championship so the level is not new for us. Plus, it’s one thing at Old Trafford but another thing when you go away. So I go serious. I’m going to change a few players obviously. But I’m going with a good team and I respect the competition a lot. Man United demands that you go serious to every game.”

Klopp fielded a particularly weak side that was beaten by Wolverhampton Wanderers at Anfield in the previous round.

Although Mourinho did not speak directly about Klopp, regarding Cup upsets he said: “Maybe we don’t have as many English managers with that culture as we should. Maybe we foreign managers, not everybody studies and understands the culture of this country.

“In my case, I had immediately, in my first time, that situation with the match at Newcastle. So for me it was a lesson. With Chelsea I lost against a League One or League Two team [later under his management] but I never threw it away. We lost because we lost. So I try always to go serious. I like Wembley. I like the FA Cup. So I have to try to get the second one. Normally upsets happen because of attitude. Because you think it’s easy and it’s not easy. Also, the lower leagues’ teams are getting better and better.

“Sometimes we have to give some rest to some players. There are times when we have to give some players football. And sometimes the players who are not playing a lot, they are punished by that lack of minutes. It’s a combination of factors. We have to be alert because it’s never easy.”

Michael Carrick and Wayne Rooney missed Thursday’s 3-0 defeat of St-Étienne in the first leg at Old Trafford because of muscular issues.

Mourinho said: “I want them to be fit for Blackburn, I want them to be ready. I am not sure they will be ready. Henrikh Mkhitaryan is ill. He stayed at home [for Thursday’s match]. Wednesday, he was feeling a little bit. The doctors were on it and hoping he would be ready but he was not ready. Let’s see.”

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