Having already gotten a laugh at Spurs' expense by swiping Willian from their grasp, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho turned his attention to Monday's opponent: Manchester United. Mourinho made a show of halting his summer-long pursuit of Wayne Rooney, a player Man United have repeatedly insisted is not for sale despite his desire to leave, until after the match in the interest of being "ethical." But just to make it perfectly clear that he's toying with new Man United manager David Moyes, he told the press that Man United supporters should be giving Moyes grief for upsetting Rooney rather than himself for pursuing the striker.
Rooney had already asked for a transfer for the second time in three years before Moyes replaced Sir Alex Ferguson. But when the man who once sued him for libel took over and said that Rooney would only be needed if Robin van Persie got hurt, Rooney was said to be "angry and confused" and set on a move to Chelsea. And Mourinho thinks that is what the crowd at Old Trafford should keep in mind when deciding who to jeer. From the Guardian:
"We are trying to get a player that a manager told 'You will be a second option' for him. We are not going for Van Persie. They [Man United fans] don't have to be against me. If I say Ramires is a second option for me and he plays when Lampard is tired or injured, if someone comes here to get Ramires, nobody is upset."
When Mourinho was asked if Moyes should shoulder the blame, his reply was unequivocal: "Of course."
Keep in mind, it's only the second week of the season. Yet Mourinho already seems to be in Scarface "say hello to my little friend" mode with all of his biggest adversaries.
Just to show that he doesn't hold ill will for all mankind, Mourinho did tell Malaysian TV that if he had three wishes, he would use them to heal all of the world's sick people, with former Barcelona manager Tito Vilanova at the top of his list. He also revealed that he enjoys the musical stylings of Bryan Adams (who happens to be a Chelsea fan).
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