A Powerful Movie: Mourinho's Inspiration Before Arsenal Clash

Just before a crucial match against Arsenal, Manchester United's Manager Jose Mourinho found inspiration in a movie.

The rivalry between Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola has fueled the competition between Manchester United and Manchester City. Their presence as managers in Manchester is similar to transplanting the Spanish La Liga rivalry to the Premier League.

As of now, Manchester City is leading the league with 40 points. Manchester United's team, on the other hand, is second with 32 points.

No one needs to ask what Mourinho needs to do to catch up. Regardless of the team's current position, every match must be won.

In a pre-match press conference (December 1, 2017) ahead of the Arsenal match scheduled for December 3, 2017, Mourinho explained how a film about tennis rivals Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe gave a new perspective on Premier League competition.

Although the film's title was not explicitly mentioned, it is likely that the movie Mourinho watched was Borg-McEnroe, released in September 2017, directed by Janus Metz Pedersen, a documentary film specialist. The film tells the story of the 1980s tennis rivalry between Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe.

Mourinho answered a question regarding his rivalry with Manchester City by sharing an idea he learned from the film:

"Yesterday, I watched a movie about Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe. Borg's coach would always say, 'Think of one thing at a time.' I tell my players the same thing.

'Don't think about what could happen or what has already happened. Think about this match. Think about Arsenal. We don't care about how many points we have above or below them.'

"Right now, we don't want to worry about anything else. Our focus is the match against Arsenal. It won't be an easy game for us.