Manchester United will not be a failure if they do
not win the Europa League, although he accepts
that others may argue differently.
United scraped into the final of the competition
after a 1-1 draw with Celta Vigo at Old Trafford on
Thursday, a result that secured a 2-1 aggregate
victory in the semi-final.
Beating Ajax in the showpiece in Stockholm will
see United end the campaign with triumphs in the
Community Shield, EFL Cup and Europa League, as
well as earning a place in the group stage of next
season's Champions League.
However, despite a 25-match unbeaten run in the
Premier League, their inconsistent form has left
them sixth in the top flight with three games to
play, while Thursday's draw was their 11th at
home in all competitions this term – a sequence of
results that has drawn plenty of criticism from fans
and the media.
Defeat on May 24 would further discredit
Mourinho's efforts in his first year in the north
west, but the 54-year-old – who is the first United
boss to win a major trophy in his debut season –
says he and the club are content after a year in
which he has "worked harder than ever".
Asked if failing to win the Europa League would
make the season a failure, he replied: "I think, by
you media, you have the right to say it and I think
it makes sense.
"But I don't feel like that. I don't want the players to
feel like that. I don't think the board feels like that.
Because we work very hard. I probably worked
harder than ever this season.
"So I don't think that way, but if I was on your side,
in your chair… yeah [it's fair]. We won the EFL Cup,
the Community Shield, until the injuries arrived we
fought for the Premier League top four. We had a
fantastic record of 25 matches [unbeaten], we did
things that nobody did at this club in the first
season, like winning a trophy.
"You are always looking for this kind of capital
letters, big headlines. I accept that you say that."
When asked what the reason is for his need to work
so hard, he said: "The players and the club.
Sometimes, you get into big clubs in difficult
moments and the work is harder than when you get
to smaller clubs in a moment of positive
explosion.
"A very hard season. Some invisible work, at your
eyes, but when I analyse my work, I know better
than anyone what I had to do. But I accept at your
eyes, it's the football results that make that
decision."
United travel to Tottenham on Sunday and are
expected to field a weakened side following their
exploits against a spirited Celta side.
Mourinho made a number of changes for the 2-0
defeat to Arsenal last weekend and he plans to do
the same in their final three matches against Spurs,
Southampton and Crystal Palace in order to rest his
key players as much as possible.
"I have to give some minutes to everyone because
we have only 15 players, we don't have more," he
said. "So I have to play them but I have to play
them mixed, in periods. I don't have another
solution.
"In the Premier League, we can only finish fifth or
sixth, I think. But we can win a trophy and by
winning that trophy we can play Champions
League next season, so that's the game.
"But, like we did against Arsenal, we didn't throw
the match away, we tried to win, we gave a difficult
match to our opponent, we had our chances to get
a different result and that's what we are going to
do.
"We don't want to say matches are not important,
but we have one that is more important than the
others."
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