Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho says their season will not be judged on the outcome of today’s FA Cup final against Chelsea.
United finished second in the Premier League – their highest placing since the 2012-13 season – but will be without silverware this season if they fail to defeat final opponents Chelsea.
“I’m not going to change my analysis of the season because of one match,” Mourinho said in a news conference yesterday.
“You can analyse the way you want to.”
The former Blues manager has won 12 cup competitions during his club career. And in his first season in charge at Old Trafford, Mourinho guided United to two finals, the Europa League and League Cup, winning both.
However, the United boss said his record was irrelevant going into the Wembley encounter.
“I think the winning mentality doesn’t have to do with records or history in finals,” he added.
“I honestly think what we did in the past has nothing to do with tomorrow and the records don’t matter. What matters is 11 against 11 and everybody trying to give their best.”
Contests between the two finalists have been tight in recent years with only three or more goals scored on three occasions in the past 13 meetings.
When asked whether today’s clash will be an open game, Mourinho said: “I still don’t understand these words of ‘entertaining’. You think 6-0 is entertaining? I don’t think so.
“I think entertaining is emotion until the end, it’s the open result until the end, it’s everybody on their seats until the end. Both dugouts nervous and tense with the unpredictability of the result – that for me as a football lover is entertaining, so I think so it’s going to be entertaining.”
Meanwhile, Manchester City assistant manager, Mikel Arteta, has completed his interview process with Arsenal and has agreed verbally to become Arsene Wenger’s successor.
