Jose Mourinho Takes A Swipe At Arsenal’s Appointment Of Arteta

Jose Mourinho has taken a swipe at Arsenal for their choice of Mikel Arteta.

The Tottenham Hotspur boss was heavily linked for the coaching position at the Emirates but was never really approached.

Speaking ahead of Sunday’s clash against Chelsea, Mourinho said, “The only point I can find – and it is for us to laugh a little bit – is that years ago the best managers were the guys with more victories and now the best is the guy with the fewest defeats.

“So Ancelotti has three Champions Leagues, won the league in Italy, France and England and won cups here and there – but Ancelotti has lost, I don’t know, 200 matches?

“I have lost 150-180 – Carlo is a little bit older than me. I think now it is not about how much you won, it is about the matches we didn’t lose. So probably the best managers now are the managers with zero defeats.

“The only reason I can understand is that they look through the CVs and see guys with more defeats and guys with less defeats, so guys with less defeats are given the job. I cannot find another reason.”

Mikel Arteta has come with a clear idea of what he wants to do at Arsenal. He said, “The first thing is a little bit to change the energy. Last week I was here with Manchester City and I was a little bit down after the game when I felt what was going on.

“So we have to try to engage everybody, I have to try and convince the players about what I want to do, how I want to do it, they have to start accepting a different process, a different way of thinking, and I want to get all the staff and everybody at the club with the same mindset.

“We have to build a culture that has to sustain the rest. If you don’t have the right culture, in the difficult moments, the tree is going to shake, so my job is to convince everybody that this is how we are going to live, and if you are going to be part of this organisation it has to be in these terms and in this way.

“And after that, we can talk about other things. Obviously now we need an immediate impact, we need to start winning games, we need to start to raise the level of confidence of the players, and finally we need the fans.

“We need to engage them, we need to be able to transmit with our behaviours, our intentions, what we want to bring to this football club. I think that’s the only way, where we give them a little bit, they give us a little bit, and suddenly we feel that connection, because when plug plug these two things together, it is so powerful.

“I’ve been outside this football club and when you’re outside you look at it and you say ‘wow, this is massive’. So this is how I’m feeling. There is so much to do, I am so excited, and I think we have the right team, I have many conversations with the senior people at the club, and I feel we’re on the same path. So I have a good feeling.”