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Clattenburg praises Manchester United boss Mourinho for recent behaviour

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Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has heaped huge praise on Manchester United manager for his recent behaviour towards referees this season.

Over the years, the Portuguese has never shied away from criticising officials in public but Mourinho has been more reserved this season and he even praised referee Jon Moss for his performance in United’s 1-0 victory over Tottenham on the weekend.

In his post match interview with Sky Sports, Mourinho said: “Good referee.

“One yellow card in a match that was strong, aggressive, every 50-50 ball was like the last ball of their careers.

“I think Moss was good and well supported by the other fellows.”

During the previous campaign, his first at Old Trafford, Mourinho found himself in trouble with the Football Association a numerous occasions for his behaviour towards the officials on the pitch and his comments off the field.

Writing in his column for the Times, Clattenburg was quick to single out Mourinho and Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp for praise for the way in which they have treated officials recently.

“There have been a few bad decisions in the past couple of weeks but what is interesting is that, in general, managers haven’t been blaming referees,” he wrote.

“It’s a real shift.

“Both José Mourinho and Jürgen Klopp blamed their players for defeats last weekend when often the emphasis is placed on the officials.

“Let’s hope the trend continues.”

OPINION

It is rather refreshing that Mourinho has gone against the grain and refused to single out referees during the early stages of the campaign. However, many would argue it’s easier for him to be more relaxed with officials because his side have been winning matches and there was no controversial decision when they eventually lost their first game to newly-promoted Huddersfield last week. No-one should be surprised if Mourinho sets his sights on the referees if United start dropping crucial points in the upcoming weeks. Criticising officials has always been part of Mourinho’s make up in his task to turn the world against him and his side and it could rear it’s ugly head in the near-future.   

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