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

A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
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."
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
-
Why New York City was caught off guard by flash flooding
Talking Point Is climate change moving too fast or are city leaders dragging their feet?
By Theara Coleman Published
-
Today's political cartoons - October 2, 2023
Monday's cartoons - Biden's EV plan, the Senate dress code, and more
By The Week Staff Published
-
What is Rep. Matt Gaetz's endgame?
Today's Big Question The MAGA congressman loves to sow chaos, but there might be more to his latest moves than just disruption.
By Rafi Schwartz Published
-
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 Published
-
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 Published
-
‘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 Published
-
Champions League final: Man City vs. Inter predictions and preview
feature Can Guardiola’s team finally win the Champions League and complete a historic treble?
By Mike Starling Last updated
-
Man City: can ‘one of the best sides in history’ win the treble?
feature Guardiola’s Premier League champions have two more trophies in their sights
By The Week Staff Published
-
Premier League: Man City vs. Arsenal predictions
feature What the pundits say about tonight’s title race showdown at the Etihad
By Mike Starling Last updated
-
Liverpool 7 Man Utd 0: ‘welcome to Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool 2.0’
feature Anfield’s ‘new front three’ were on fire in the humbling of their bitter rivals
By Mike Starling Published
-
Man Utd win the Carabao Cup: how Erik ten Hag has ‘transformed’ the Red Devils
feature United lifted their first silverware since 2017 after beating Newcastle at Wembley
By Mike Starling Published