City moved on to 79 points from 34 games. Arsenal have 80 points from 35 games
football2 hours ago
A week-long 'warm weather' training camp in Dubai is probably what the doctor ordered for the beleaguered Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho.
After having seen their league hopes go down in flames with a defeat to leaders Manchester City and frustrating draws with Leicester City, Burnley and Southampton in December, Mourinho was under unbelievable pressure.
The former Chelsea coach also rued United's inability to match Man City's financial powers despite the Old Trafford bosses spending £286 million in the transfer market in the last 18 months.
And, some British tabloids even put question marks over Mourinho's long-term future at Manchester United.
Victories over Everton in the Premier League and Derby in the FA Cup did lift the gloom, but Mourinho's comments in the press conference after the Derby win in which he apparently targeted Antonio Conte, the man who replaced him at Chelsea, has now sparked an ugly war of words between the Portuguese and the Italian.
So much so that the English FA is now monitoring the situation as they might have to intervene and take action against both managers if they continue their verbal battle. After all, thanks to their choice of words, this has already become the Premier League's most embarrassing fight between two managers.
So, a week away from the pandemonium in England could rejuvenate the self-proclaimed Special One.
Manchester United, the 20-time English champions, have posted pictures of their smiling stars leaving for Dubai on their official Facebook page, which has 73 million followers.
But knowing Mourinho and his relentless search for footballing perfection, it's unlikely that United superstars will be allowed to relax and enjoy the Dubai sun.
"We need to recover, but at the same time we also need to train because during this crazy time we have not had many times to work on details that you want to work on," Mourinho was quoted as saying by the Daily Star before the team's departure.
"It's been more about the recovery from the match and the travelling and the preparations for the next one, without time to work. If we can have time to have a good, nice week to recover some injured and tired players and, at the same time, work on some tactical details, then I think it would be good for the second part of the season."
United are not the only Premier League club to be holding a camp in Dubai during this week-long break in English football.
According to a report in Daily Mail, Liverpool, who have just sold playmaker Coutinho to Barcelona for £145 million, has also arrived in Dubai for a mid-season camp.
Their star striker Mo Salah has already posted a picture of himself in Dubai on Instagram.
Meanwhile, Scottish giants Celtic have already started their 'warm weather' camp in Dubai as the club has a posted a picture from the team's training session on Instagram with the iconic Burj Khalifa in the background!
City moved on to 79 points from 34 games. Arsenal have 80 points from 35 games
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