Manchester United can put their Champions League exit behind them as they face Brighton for a place in the FA Cup semi-finals.
Sevilla surprisingly dumped United out of the Champions League on Tuesday after winning 2-1 at Old Trafford leading to criticism of Jose Mourinho’s tactical approach over the two legs.
Mourinho was in bullish mood in his pre-match press conference on Friday and defended his record in an impassioned 12-minute rant to reporters.
“When I was 20, I was nobody in football, I was somebody’s son, with a lot of pride,” he said.
“Now with 55 I am what I am, I did what I did, because of work and because of talent and my mentality. So they can be together. “I understand that for many, many, many years was really, really hard for the people who don’t like me – ‘here he is again, here he wins again.’ For 10 months I win nothing, the last title that I won was 10 months ago, I beat Liverpool, Chelsea, I lose against Sevilla and now is their moment to be happy.”
Brighton manager Chris Hughton admits staying in the top flight is the Seagulls’ main priority, but is excited about the chance to reach the last four of England’s premier cup competition. “We all know that the biggest priority for this football club is to make sure that we’re playing Premier League football next season,” he said.
“But the two are very separate. This is important for us, but we certainly see the two separate.
“You arrive at Old Trafford today and the only thing on your mind is about trying to get through, of course, to the next round.”
Meanwhile, Dele Alli and Danny Rose will face late fitness tests ahead of Tottenham’s FA Cup quarter-final at Swansea today.
Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino has said he understands frustrations with the club’s lack of silverware, which he thinks boil down to a feeling Spurs “deserve trophies we do not achieve”.
Spurs are without a title of any kind since they won the League Cup in 2008, although Pochettino has taken them to a runners-up finish in the Premier League. But having reached the last four of the FA Cup last season, Spurs are now only three games from winning the trophy for the first time since 1991.
Pochettino said: “The people are saying that because they are frustrated because Tottenham in the last few years have shown unbelievable quality, play good football and everyone enjoys it every time they watch the team play.
“Sometimes they feel sad for us, not only our fans, but fans from other teams – not Arsenal fans. “People that understand football very well know that this project is a project that is very exciting because we are not a club that are going to buy trophies, we are a club that is going to deserve trophies.”
Swansea manager Carlos Carvalhal is hoping to cast aside old memories of playing Spurs when the two sides meet at the Liberty Stadium. The Swans are in the last eight of the competition in more than 50 years, and have been in superb form under Carvalhal since he took over from Paul Clement in December. That achievement will illicit some memories for the club’s fans, but so will another old meeting with the north London club for Carvalhal – back when he was 18, in a UEFA Cup tie in 1984.
He said: “Tottenham had beaten us 3-0 in Braga and at White Hart Lane my manager, Quinito, played me. Playing in that Spurs team was Glenn Hoddle and they had won the UEFA Cup the previous year.
“We lost 6-0 and after the game, the manager got on the bus and everybody was crouching down behind their seat and trying to hide.”
