'The defensive guy beat all the records' - Jose Mourinho hits back at 'park the bus' reputation

Jose Mourinho has hit out at his reputation for ‘parking the bus’ as a defensive manager, pointing to his Real Madrid tenure as proof of his record-setting skills.

The 55-year-old was sacked as Manchester United boss in December, and faced harsh critics during his time at Old Trafford for the style he used with the club.

Those voices have grown even louder as the Red Devils have flourished under the stewardship of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the man brought in on an interim basis to replace Mourinho, in recent weeks. 

But the Portuguese, never one to back down from commentary on his style and approach, defended his tactics, pointing out that his defensive reputation began during his record-breaking stint with Los Blancos.

“You know when the [parking the bus] reputation started?” Mourinho stated as a pundit on beIN Sports .

“It was when I was champions with Real Madrid with 100 points and 106 goals - the record of Spanish football."

Mourinho added: “The record of Spanish football was not Barcelona, it was Real Madrid. The manager of Real Madrid was ‘the defensive guy’ that beat all the records. We won against every team home and away.”

Mourinho claims that Los Blancos had forgotten how to win before his arrival, and that it was he who righted the ship in the Spanish capital and helped the club climb back above Barcelona, who he believes were the best team in the world at the time. 

“When I arrived there they had already forgotten what it was to win,” he said. “When we went to the cup final and we beat Barcelona in the cup final, I think it was 25 years without a Copa Del Rey.

.  

“When we win the league, still now, for the past 10 years Real Madrid were champions twice. 

“Okay the Champions League, fantastic achievement they’ve made, but that’s another story, that’s not my story. 

“My story was, in that period when Barcelona was the best club in the world, we went there and we broke that period.”

Despite his failures with Manchester United, the Portuguese claims his time with Madrid, and indeed his success with other clubs, is more than enough to prove that he did his job at each and every stop. 

 “I did my job there. I did my job at every club that I’ve been at, apart from Manchester United where people want to sell the idea, but I know that I did my job.”