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Tottenham manager José Mourinho has said Manchester United are now one of the favorites to win the Europa League, but reiterated his belief that Champions League clubs should not be able to participate in the competition.
United fell out of the Champions League on Tuesday night after a 3-2 loss at RB Leipzig that meant they finished third in Group H.
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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team enters the Europa League, along with seven other third-party teams in the Champions League, to join Spurs and Arsenal in the knockout stage next February.
Mourinho has never failed to reach the knockout rounds of the Champions League during a career as a manager that also included two years in charge of United, in particular, he secured a famous win at Juventus to qualify for the knockout stages of the season. 2018-19.
“I am happy with [my] record because it meant that my clubs were always in a position of progress, economically important but also for prestige. Sometimes more difficult than others, “Moutinho said at a press conference on Wednesday.
“For example, at United, when we lost at home to Juventus, we had to go to Turin and win there and then qualify from a very difficult group, also with Valencia. And of course now Manchester United has become one of Top favorites to win the competition Teams that fall from the Champions League and are always strong do not normally belong to that level of Europa League competitions and of course Manchester United is one of the best teams.
Tottenham manager José Mourinho is not happy that teams like Manchester United can enter the Europa League after being eliminated from the Champions League Photo by Carl Recine – Pool / Getty Images
“The group [this season] It was very hard. Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester, Leipzig, we all knew it wasn’t going to be easy for any of them. And we all knew that from that group a superior team would go to the Europa League. “
However, Mourinho repeated his frustration that the Champions League teams could enter the Europa League at the midpoint, essentially believing that UEFA is rewarding the teams for failing.
“It’s a point of principle and if it happened to my team, I would feel exactly the same,” he added. “That’s right and, honestly, it brings more quality to the competition. We cannot forget that.
“When you have eight new teams in the competition and eight teams that belong to another level and go down to the Europa League, of course the level of the competition will improve, there is no doubt. And when quality improves, attention improves. good for competition.
“But from a sporting point of view is where I think it is not fair. That a team does not triumph in one competition passes to another. It is the same as imagining the third team in the Europa League, instead of finishing, it passes to a third competition in the hierarchy of European football.
“It’s just a beginning. In football, when for some reason we don’t make it, too bad, next season. But it is what it is and it’s not a problem for me.”
The Spurs will face Royal Antwerp at home on Thursday night after having qualified for the final stages, but only a win will ensure they top Group J.
Source: espn.co.uk
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