Jose Mourinho takes aim at ‘failed sharks of Champions League’ after Roma draw with Real Betis – The Warm-Up

FRIDAY’S BIG STORIES

Mourinho’s dig

“I see them [Betis] as candidates, but the failed sharks of the Champions League will arrive, and they will come in hard,” Mourinho said.

“They shouldn’t come but it’s the reality. It’s going to be fun. The failures of the Champions League.”

• Ajax
• Atletico Madrid
• Barcelona
• Sporting Lisbon
• AC Milan
• Shakhtar Donetsk
• Sevilla
• Juventus

This statement has widely been interpreted as a dig at both Juventus and Barcelona, which, the Warm-Up is fully here for.

The above statement comes a matter of days after Mourinho intimated that he had changed his ways. When asked about whether the injury to Paulo Dybala had been caused by the strains the upcoming World Cup has put on players, he said the following:

“Four or five years ago we were talking about it but the fact is that now we have it there,” Mourinho began.

“It is only now that we are living with this kind of situation. But I learned to cry less than I used to cry before and to live with reality as it is.”

Here the Warm-Up will take the word cry as interchangeable with moan. Mourinho then proceeded to moan about Dybala’s injury, which leaves him sweating on a spot with Argentina in Qatar.

“There are the rich, the poor and the less rich,” he added.

“The poor play once a week and prepare for one match a week. The rich, with the teams they have, could play every day and still change 10 players. It is the less rich, who are the ones with average ambitions but who have to play the same number of matches as the rich, that are struggling. And the latter is the experience I’m living in this moment.”

Andy Carroll takes aim at Steve Bruce

Steve Bruce released Andy Carroll from West Brom over the summer. Andy Carroll went on to re-sign for Reading. The Berkshire club sit fifth in the Championship table with Carroll having scored once in four appearances. West Brom, meanwhile, sacked Bruce as manager with the club languishing in 22nd.

The nine-cap, two-goal England international pulled no punches when addressing the dismissal of Bruce.

“Especially when we were guaranteed three points at the weekend. It is a shame but that’s football.

“You don’t get the results, it’s a business at the end of the day. That’s why you have to keep the lads together and work hard as a manager and get the lads working hard for you. Everyone is enjoying themselves.”

Carroll added – further jabbing at Bruce – that he was shocked to see West Brom in the bottom three.

“I’m surprised,” he said. “They’ve got a great squad and a great team. It’s surprising to see them down there but it is the way football is. If they win the next three or four games they’re right back up there.”

Lewandowski does not forget

Robert Lewandowski was a shoo-in to win the Ballon d’Or in 2020. Yet, owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, it was cancelled.

It was the first year since 1956 that France Football did not hand out the prestigious individual award. Lionel Messi won it in 2019 and 2021, and while Lewandowski finished second last year, the decision to cancel the award is still a source of frustration if this interview with Movistar is anything to go by.

“Benzema is the favourite to win the Ballon d’Or,” began the Polish superstar. “Of course if they don’t cancel it,” he added with a smile, “he is going to win the Ballon d’Or.”

IN THE CHANNELS

Jarrod Bowen is West Ham’s joint-top scorer in European football. Not this season. But ever. He is now level with Johnny Byrne and David Cross on six goals.

He was fairly understated in his post-match interview in the wake of West Ham’s 2-0 win against Anderlecht in the Europa Conference League, saying:

“No, it is good,” began Bowen.

“I want to be on the records, and we want to go far in these European competitions and that helps that.”

HAT-TIP

“I never like to play the position, I play the game,” Alexander-Arnold said. “You play the position, it limits you. It’s like playing with shackles on. I’ve always thought that with a sensible mind, play the game, get in positions that will hurt the opposition, and at the same time do the defensive work you need to do. It’s more: play the game how it needs to be played.”

HAT-TIP II

COMING UP

The football never stops. After three days of European association football, the weekend of domestic association football begins in earnest as Brentford face Brighton in the Premier League.