Jose Mourinho lauds 'untouchable' City before Manchester derby
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho, wholeheartedly, praised his eternal rival Pep Guardiola's team Manchester City and the way they are performing this term. He made the comments when he was asked about the recent allegations on City flouting Financial Fair Play regulations. Mourinho stated firmly he knows that the team is good, but he doesn't know the internal workings of the club.
Mourinho's comments about City
"It's difficult for me to answer because I focus on my job...I focus on the four lines, focus on football, so if you want to speak about their (City's) football potential we can speak...there's a quality of the work, I think that is untouchable"
What are the exact allegations against Manchester City?
City's holding company, Abu Dhabi United Group reportedly created the shell company and 'paid' it to purchase the image rights of players from the club itself. It has also been reported that City, for a long time, had been looking for ways to go undetected regarding their huge expenditure. The German outlet Der Spiegel has cited internal correspondence from the club as a source.
Mourinho confident after good performances in away matches
Mourinho said that United have performed well in their two away matches against challenging oppositions like Chelsea and Juventus, and thus he is confident that they will do well at Etihad. United came back after being down against Chelsea, but finally the match ended in a draw. Against Juventus, they staged a spectacular comeback to snatch the away win.
Do United really have a chance against City on Saturday?
It cannot be denied that United have really taken their game up a few notches after a series of bad performances at the start of the season. However, they lack a decent striker and City are beyond comparison this season in terms of goal-scoring. It will be a tough fight for United and Mourinho has to deal his cards carefully in order to win.
The Manchester derby: Some details before the clash
This derby has a long history and is played between Manchester United and Manchester City, two clubs separated by 4 km. Starting in 1881, the first match was played between Newton Heath (United) and St. Mark's (City). The rivals have played 176 matches across all competitions, United winning 73, City 51, and the remaining 52 being drawn.
