Jose Mourinho Insists On Taking Blame Ahead of Manchester City Visit

Tuesday, 18th September, 2012

Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho believes that the club’s poor start to the season is his fault, with him having been unable to properly motivate the players.

Los Blancos went down to their second defeat from their opening four La Liga games at the weekend, losing tamely 1-0 away to Sevilla, slopping passing dominating the display.

The result leaves Real Madrid eight points behind first-placed Barcelona, even at this early stage of the campaign.

Now Mourinho is switching his attention to another competition, with the return of the Champions League heralded by a visit from Manchester City this evening. It is a game he is determined for his side to bounce back in, but feels he will need to improve his own performance for them to do so.

And the Portuguese hinted he will not make wholesale changes.

"The line-up will not be very different, it will be the best that I consider it right to play, full of players of the highest level", said Mourinho at his pre-match press conference.

"Football is about today and tomorrow, not yesterday. Yesterday is history", he added, attempting to look forward.

"I have not been able to keep my players motivated and concentrated at the top level and that is my fault.

"To play against [Manchester] City motivates me as much as playing against Getafe. To win the Champions League motivates me like any other match."

This evening would be the perfect time for Mourinho to launch Real Madrid’s revival, well ahead of the looming Clasico against Barcelona on 7th October.