Jose Mourinho Accuses BBC Reporter of Being Sent Undercover by Rival Club

Jose Mourinho accused a BBC reporter of being sent undercover from another club to his press conference when he spoke to the media on Tuesday ahead of Wednesday's clash with Bournemouth. 

Per Football365, the Manchester United boss was asked if he or the club could be at risk of sanction following the post-match altercation with Manchester City on Sunday: "Punish who? Why? I think you work for another club and not for the press."

The conference was dominated by talk of what happened in the aftermath of City's 2-1 win at Old Trafford, which allegedly saw milk and water thrown at the Special One amid a dressing-room confrontation with the Sky Blues over their celebrations following the victory.

Mourinho, evidently unhappy with the line of questioning, stormed out of the presser. As he departed, he said: "You don’t like Bournemouth, hey? You don't respect them? You don't think they are a team capable of coming to Old Trafford and doing well? No respect for Eddie Howe? No respect for the players?"

BBC Sport provided footage of his exit:

The Press Association's Simon Peach had given him the chance to discuss the Cherries' impending visit, though:

It is not the first time this season Mourinho has aimed a swipe at the media, nor the first time he could be accused of being paranoid.

Per Metro's Sean Kearns, amid a war of words with Antonio Conte earlier in the campaign—in which the Italian said Mourinho was obsessed with Chelsea following a dig about using injuries as an excuse for poor results—the Portuguese said: "Maybe it is not his fault and it is the journalists' fault when they pass to him the wrong message."

After he was sacked by Chelsea at the end of his second spell at the club in 2015, the Mirror's John Cross reported Mourinho, in his final weeks at Stamford Bridge, was "so paranoid about dressing-room leaks that he feared nowhere was safe apart from the sanctuary of the pitch, beyond the reach of microphones and listening ears."

Alastair Grant/Associated Press

The manager has often specialised in creating a siege mentality among his teams in order to get the best out of them.

He's had plenty of success with that tactic, winning eight league titles, two UEFA Champions League titles and a great many more trophies in his managerial career, and his most recent comments could well be a part of fostering the mentality he desires from his teams.

The approach has not bred long-term success, though—he is yet to stay at a club for more than three years consecutively—and when things aren't going well, as in his final months at Chelsea, the situation can implode.

United will be disappointed to find themselves 11 points behind City following Sunday's defeat, but they're not at that stage yet given they're second and have a winnable UEFA Champions League knockout tie—their first in four years—awaiting against Sevilla in February.

Still, Mourinho's focus would perhaps best be aimed at getting more out of his squad, many of whom could be doing much better than they are.