Jose Mourinho names his Champions League team of the year… and there’s no place for any Manchester United stars or Cristiano Ronaldo (while SIX Liverpool players make the cut)
- Liverpool capped off a memorable season by beating Tottenham in final
- Champions League glory for Jurgen Klopp’s side was hugely well deserved
- Jose Mourinho named six of the side in his Champions League team of the year
- He included three Ajax players and Christian Eriksen was Tottenham’s only pick
Jose Mouirnho has named six Liverpool players in his Champions League team of the year.
The former Manchester United manager heralded the Reds as exceptional and their inclusion is no surprise after a brilliant campaign was capped off by a 2-0 victory over Tottenham in Madrid on Saturday.
Alisson, who performed with such assurance in the final, was the man Mourinho entrusted in goal.
Virgil van Dijk (left) made it into Jose Mourinho’s Champions League team of the year
Trent Alexander-Arnold (left) and Andy Robertson (right) also made the cut
The full-back pairing of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson also made the cut along with colossus Virgil van Dijk in the heart of defence.
Danger men Sadio Mane and Mo Salah were also selected up top and combined with Lionel Messi in Mourinho’s XI.
The Portuguese explained his selections to RT show ‘On the Touchline with Jose Mourinho’: ‘I go to Alisson, especially because[in the final] he was there when the needed him to be there.
‘The two full-backs also have to be Liverpool players, amazing players, [Trent] Alexander-Arnold and [Andy]Robertson. Amazing character and personality. One [Alexander-Arnold] is a local boy, another [Robertson] is a Scottish boy that a few years ago was relegated with Hull City.
Losing finalist Christian Eriksen was the only Spurs player in Mourinho’s XI
‘And both they are physical, they are aggressive, they are what I call in football ‘the good arrogance’, they are not afraid to play, they go forward, they participate in attack. And even in a game on Saturday under huge pressure they were very, very good.
‘Van Dijk is a king, he is a huge personality. Positionally, a top, top player.’
And Mourinho only picked players who made it the semi-final stage of the competition this season, meaning the Ajax trio of Frenkie de Jong, Mathijs de Ligt and Donny van de Beek also made the starting line-up. He said all three have big personalities and promise a bright future.
The manager refused to waver on his policy of picking from teams outside the last four, meaning Cristiano Ronaldo missed out. Tottenham’s only representative was Christian Eriksen.
Mourinho concluded: ‘In spite of a disappointing second leg at Anfield, Messi. No Ronaldo with an incredible comeback against Atletico [Madrid], no Ronaldo because he didn’t reach the semi-finals. But Messi did and did an amazing semi-final first leg too.’
Lionel Messi made Mourinho’s team with Sadio Mane and Mo Salah in attack
