Gary Neville Compares Jose Mourinho to Floyd Mayweather After Tottenham Victory

Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has compared Red Devils manager Jose Mourinho to boxing legend Floyd Mayweather Jr. following the team's 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday. 

Mourinho has been criticised in recent weeks for adopting a defensive style in his matches, particularly against Liverpool in the 0-0 draw at Anfield, but he was vindicated in the clash against Spurs as the team secured a crucial three points. 

Speaking on Sky Sports' Monday Night Football, Neville said Mourinho's approach, in contrast to other coaches, reminds him of another sporting great:

"Mauricio Pochettino and Jurgen Klopp have got wonderful reputations for being attacking coaches. But Mourinho is a little bit like Mayweather at times. Mayweather is called boring at times, where he uses defence as a weapon, let's people punch themselves out.

"Klopp in that game a few weeks ago didn't feel he could fully go for it, because he felt: 'He's going to do me, I don't want to get done by a Mourinho masterclass.' And I think Tottenham lacked the belief to go for it on Saturday."

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After the win over Tottenham, Mourinho put a finger to his lips towards the camera and suggested following the match that too much has been said about his approach:

The blueprint ensured United remain in contention for the Premier League title, as they sit five points behind leaders Manchester City.

At a club like United, there will always be an onus on the team to play enterprising football, with former coaches like Sir Matt Busby and Sir Alex Ferguson building remarkable sides on that basis. Mourinho has been doing things a little differently, though his trophy-laden past proves it's a method that ultimately yields success.

As noted by Bundesliga pundit Jan Aage Fjortoft, Mourinho has been a success at whichever club he's managed:

Mayweather, of course, received similar criticism throughout his boxing career despite his perfect record of 50 wins from 50 professional fights.

The man known as Money rarely opened fights up, was often on the back foot but would pick opponents off with sharp counterpunching. It was a tactic everyone who shared the ring with Mayweather knew he would utilise, but not one fighter found an antidote for it.

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While Mourinho's blueprint hasn't yielded perfect results like Mayweather's did, there are comparisons to draw. 

Oliver Holt of the Mail on Sunday suggested the Portuguese gets criticised unfairly sometimes:

With City in such incredible form and already five points ahead at the top of the pile, winning the Premier League this season would arguably be the United manager's greatest achievement to date. But his ability to get through big games and manage campaigns means they can't be ruled out.

And, perhaps, like Mayweather did often in his storied career, Mourinho will be happy to bide his time, slowly work his way into a battle and edge out his rival.