[youtube]XMr61-XSnpI[/youtube]
Jose Mourinho Apologises After Manuel Pellegrini Refused to Shake Hands
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has apologised to opposite number Manuel Pellegrini for any offence caused by his celebration of Fernando Torres' late goal in his side's victory over Manchester City on Sunday.
Mourinho had cut across in front of the City bench and entered into the crowd, in a move he says was to celebrate with his son in the stand. However, his actions drew ire from Pellegrini, who refused to shake his hand post-match:
Regarding his celebrations and subsequent lack of handshake with his opposite number, per the Daily Mail, Mourinho said:
I wanted to buy a season ticket for my son, and they give them a season ticket behind the away dug-out. I went for him, I promise. The next match you’ll see him there again.
I beat City in the last minute in Madrid last season, and I destroyed my trousers (by sliding on the floor). I apologise if they feel I did something wrong.
He [Pellegrini] lost the game in the last minute and I have sympathy with that. I don’t feel it’s a lack of respect.
The match at Stamford Bridge had ended in dramatic style when a mix-up between City defender Matija Nastasic and goalkeeper Joe Hart left Torres with a simple finish to seal a final-minute success for Mourinho's side.
The manner of City's third defeat of the campaign would have been painful for Pellegrini, who has already seen England No. 1 Hart make notable errors on a couple of occasions this season.
To lose in such a manner to a side that will likely be a direct title rival, leaving City six points off the pace at the top of the table, will only make matters worse.
Per ESPNFC's Nicholas Rigg, Pellegrini and Mourinho rarely saw eye to eye in La Liga, with Mourinho having replaced the now-City boss as Real Madrid manager in 2010.
Given that they will now be fighting for the Premier League title on what should be a relatively even playing field—unlike in their battles when at Real Madrid and Malaga—there will be a lot of pride at stake in the clashes.
Neither side have truly convinced this season, though, and there is still plenty of time for Pellegrini to claw back Chelsea's four-point lead over his side.
With Alex Ferguson and Rafael Benitez now out of the Premier League scene and the division deprived of the pair's regular disagreements, it appears Mourinho and Pellegrini may be willing to fill the void.
When it comes to Mourinho, at least, there will be few surprised to hear of his involvement.
Pellegrini silent over Hart
Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini refused to publicly back Joe Hart after another error from the England goalkeeper saw Chelsea triumph at Stamford Bridge.
The City stopper and Matija Nastasic were involved in a mix-up which gifted Fernando Torres a 90th-minute winner.
Following the loss, Pellegrini refused to discuss the errors which resulted in Torres' winner or whether Hart's place is under threat from Costel Pantilimon.
"I do it privately with the players," Pellegrini said.
After defeats at Cardiff and Aston Villa, the Chilean was left to rue the further loss of "stupid points" away from home.
"We repeat the story," he said.
"We had absolutely the control of the game. We played very, very well in the second half. We didn't have any problem with Chelsea but finally in the last minute we lost.
"We are losing stupid points."
Pellegrini was incensed and at the final whistle refused to shake hands with Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, who celebrated the goal with supporters behind the visitors' dugout.
Pellegrini said: "I didn't shake hands. I didn't want to shake hands."
Mourinho had no complaints with Pellegrini and insisted he entered the crowd to share his joy with his son, who has a season ticket.
"I don't feel it is a lack of respect," Mourinho said.
"If he was sad because of the result, I understand. If he was sad thinking that I was doing something wrong by going to celebrate there, I accept that too. No problem."
He added: "Chelsea is guilty. They have to give my kid tickets behind my dugout."
Mourinho was thrilled with Torres' response to his early miss.
The £50million frontman missed a sitter, set up Andre Schurrle's opener, hit the crossbar and then netted the decisive goal - his first Barclays Premier League goal of the season and second of 2013 - after Sergio Aguero's stunning equaliser.
"When a striker misses an easy early chance, many times he's affected for the rest of the game," Mourinho said.
"It looks like that moment was the moment where Fernando thought 'I will be the man of the match'.
"The goal comes in a very intelligent action by Fernando. (A) misunderstanding by Joe and Nastasic, but Fernando was very clever.
"He's sharp, he's powerful, the belief is high. We are happy for him, but we are all happy because it's a very important victory against a team we couldn't beat last year."
[spoiler]
[/spoiler]Manchester United are keeping a close eye on how Gareth Bale, 24, adapts to life at Real Madrid with view to a shock move for the Welshman next year.
The start of Bale's Real Madrid career has been hampered by injury niggles Metro
Arsenal, Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund are in competition for Olympiakos's Greek striker Kostas Mitroglou, 25, who has scored 14 goals in 14 games. Daily Star
Chelsea will test Manchester United's desire to keep hold of in-form Wayne Rooney, 28, with a new £35m bid in January. Metro
Feyenoord boss Ronald Koeman has admitted that Bruno Martins Indi, 21, may have to be sold amid speculation linking the defender with a move to the Premier League. Sky Sports
Manchester United have been linked with a move for Basel's Michael Goncalves, with reports in Switzerland suggesting a bid could be made as early as January for the 18-year-old defender. Daily Star
Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham have started monitoring Anderlecht attacking midfielders Dennis Praet, 19, and Youri Tielemans, 16, who both played in the Champions League against Paris St-Germain last week. Daily Star
Steve Bruce will look into the option of making on-loan Tottenham midfielder Jake Livermore, 23, a permanent Hull player in January. Sky Sports
Manchester United manager David Moyes admits he will consider the possibility of sending winger Wilfried Zaha, 20, out on loan in January. Sky Sports
Crystal Palace hope to appoint former Stoke boss Tony Pulis as Ian Holloway's successor this week, but Pulis is understood to have major reservations about taking charge of the Premier League's bottom club. Daily Mirror
Former England manager Terry Venables believes Tottenham winger Andros Townsend is the missing ingredient that can ensure Roy Hodgson's men make an impact at next summer's World Cup. London Evening Standard
Stoke boss Mark Hughes, the former Manchester United striker, believes David Moyes will be manager at Old Trafford "for a long time." DSSC
Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge, 24, has claimed his excellent start to the season is partly down to pre-season advice from former Chelsea team-mate Didier Drogba. Daily Mirror
Danish tennis star Caroline Wozniacki was at Anfield to watch her favourite team Liverpool beat West Brom on Saturday, saying: "I love all the traditions of the club and I know a few guys on the team. I love coming to watch the games. The atmosphere is just amazing." Daily Mirror
MORE BOLOX LATER
