Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has stoked the fires ahead of the new season by saying that Liverpool “have to win” the Premier League title.
Liverpool have spent close to £170m this summer on Alisson, Naby Keita, Fabinho and Xherdan Shaqiri - a binge that comes a year after boss Jurgen Klopp criticised rivals United for buying Paul Pogba for £90m.
Mourinho claims that Liverpool’s spending in the transfer market and their run to the Champions League final last season means there is intense pressure for the side to win the title for the first time since 1990. In fact, the outspoken Portuguese says, the media should “demand” that Klopp’s side win the Premier League.
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Speaking to Sky Sports, Mourinho said: “I think they [Liverpool] did very well, because every player they bought are quality players. I’m happy for them.
“And I’m also happy to smile [about Klopp’s previous comments] and to see that, you know, you can change your opinion and change as a person, it’s funny.
“That’s OK, but maybe this season finally you demand that they win. I think you have to be fair and now you have to demand [they win the league].
“You have to say the team, with the investments, I can’t see anyone else getting close to spending what they have.
“A team that was a finalist in the Champions League, you have to say you are a big candidate, you have to win.”
Klopp: I don’t care about pressure
Klopp admits that expectations are high at Anfield but says he is not worried by the pressure on him and his side ahead of the new campaign.
He told the BBC: “Pressure is only on the outside. That is not important really. What you say about me in three months doesn’t change my life completely.
“It is exactly the same with our owners. We are completely fine. It is not as though the others are asleep. You are right, the pressure comes from outside. It is probably increasing. I don’t care about that. I want us to play the best football we can play and make our fans happy. That is it. What other people say, I don’t care.
“I am not a dreamer, I don’t dream that we can be there or there. Other people can do that but we have to build a ground for these dreams.
“We need to play football and that is 80% of the season, if not 90%, the hardest work. The 10% is the day when you go bang, bang, bang and win 5-0. Wow. That is football.”
