Man Utd a 'long distance' from title, but Mourinho safe
Old Trafford bosses stand by their man after Pep Guardiola speaks out about his rival's poor start to the season

The bad blood between Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho and his Manchester City counterpart Pep Guardiola has been conspicuous by its absence this season, but the truce could be strained after the Spaniard said United were a "long distance" from challenging for the title.
Mourinho's side drew 1-1 with Everton on Saturday, their fourth draw in five matches, and are now 13 points behind league leaders Chelsea.
Guardiola had some sympathy with United, but acknowledged they were falling behind the leading pack in the title race.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"They deserved by far to win the games but football is like this," he said. "United have the quality, the history, the manager and the players to be there.
"Of course, 13 points is a long distance, especially when one team is winning games with the quality of Chelsea. So it is not easy. But to be in the first four? Of course."
He has a point. "No team has ever made up a 13-point deficit to win the Premier League," says The Times. "Manchester United overturned a 12-point gap to Newcastle United in 1996 but there were not the same number of teams to leapfrog."
However, while the title may be beyond them, Mourinho's efforts have not gone unnoticed at Old Trafford.
The Portuguese "retains the steadfast support and patience of Manchester United's hierarchy, who have been 'encouraged' by the team's improving style of play, despite worsening results consigning the club to their poorest start to a season for 26 years", says James Ducker of the Daily Telegraph.
Mourinho's predecessor, Louis van Gaal, was castigated for his "dull, risk averse" approach, adds the journalist. "But Mourinho's paymasters believe the former Chelsea manager is presiding over a marked uplift in performance terms, even if a run of just two wins from the past 11 league matches has already left the club facing a battle to finish in the top four, and are confident results will improve as a consequence."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Today's political cartoons - April 20, 2025
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - Pam Bondi, retirement planning, and more
By The Week US
-
5 heavy-handed cartoons about ICE and deportation
Cartoons Artists take on international students, the Supreme Court, and more
By The Week US
-
Exploring the three great gardens of Japan
The Week Recommends Beautiful gardens are 'the stuff of Japanese landscape legends'
By The Week UK
-
New Trafford: can it fix Manchester United's footballing problems?
Talking Point Plan for £2 billion stadium despite staff job losses and lack of success on the pitch
By The Week UK
-
Denis Law obituary: fond farewell to 'the King of the Stretford End'
In the Spotlight Scottish footballer who was one of Manchester United's 'Holy Trinity' has died aged 84
By The Week UK
-
Why Man United finally lost patience with ten Hag
Talking Point After another loss United sacked ten Hag in hopes of success in the Champion's League
By The Week UK
-
The wit and wisdom of Sven-Göran Eriksson
In Depth The first foreign coach to manage England on football, life and death
By The Week Staff
-
The Premier League's spending cap: levelling the playing field?
Talking Point Top clubs oppose plans to link spending to income of lowest-earning club, but rule could prevent success gap from widening
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK
-
Manchester United and Mason Greenwood: duty of care or double standards?
Talking Point The 21-year-old footballer’s possible return has provoked an outpouring of dismay from supporters
By Jamie Timson
-
2023-2024 Premier League predictions: champions, relegation and golden boot
feature A look at the top flight talking points and pundit picks for the new season
By Mike Starling
-
‘Genuine visionary’: is Pep Guardiola the greatest of all time?
feature Spaniard has now won two trebles following Man City’s Champions League triumph
By The Week Staff