José Mourinho believes the Champions League becomes a tough competition for English teams, due to their winter schedule.
The five EPL teams in the UCL are in a good position to make it to the knockout stages, with Tottenham and City already securing spots.
However, Mourinho believes the heavy winter schedule in the EPL will prove detrimental to their chances in the UCL.
“I always say the Champions League only starts in February, and in February the English teams are [still playing] after December and January where we can play 20 matches over two months. The Germans, the French, the Spanish, the Italians, they all come from a winter break,” he told the Mirror.
“So I think they arrive in better condition than the English teams.”
“It’s also a fact that any match you play in this country, if you don’t go strong, you lose,” he continued.
“We go to Bristol (City of the Championship next Wednesday) in the (EFL Cup) quarter-final and if you don’t go with a strong team, you lose. That’s as simple as that.
“In other other countries, between the top teams and the others, there is huge difference and not just in terms of talent and potential but also in terms of mentality.”
“Here, the smaller teams want to win, want to compete, want to have the courage to try and get a result.”
