“It’s not me against Max” Mourinho plays down the managerial hype ahead of Juventus vs AS Roma | OneFootball

Jose Mourinho has played down the hype around him and Massimiliano Allegri as they face each other this evening.

Juventus will host AS Roma in arguably the biggest Serie match of the weekend.

Both managers have had distinguished careers in the game with Mourinho winning titles in England, Spain, Italy and Portugal, while Allegri has dominated Serie A for much of his career.

Some media outlets have placed the spotlight firmly on both managers, forgetting that it is the players who get the job done on the pitch.

Mourinho takes their attention back to the real opponents in the encounter and maintains that the match is between Juve and Roma and not him and Allegri.

He praises Allegri for his achievements and says both of them have won so much in their career.

Mourinho is no friend of the Juve gaffer, but he says there is mutual respect between them and he is happy Max is back at work.

“There’s an unusual concept,” Mourinho said at a press conference as quoted by Football Italia.

“Those who care more about the results are those who win.

“It seems that caring about the results is negative, but it’s actually the other way around. For me it’s the wrong conception.

“I have won and Max too, this must be seen in a positive way, not as something negative. It’s not a battle between me and Max, but between Roma and Juve.

“It’s not me against Max. It’s a pleasure to greet him before the game. There’s respect and esteem. We have seen each other in many conferences, there’s no great friendship but I like Max as a person, and we are on good terms.

“It will be a pleasure to see him and I’m happy that he’s back to work. A coach like him can’t spend too much time on holiday.”