​Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has claimed that the Champions League is more difficult to win for the English sides since they do not have a winter break, like teams in other leagues have.





While the Bundesliga, La Liga and Serie A all have a break during the winter, the Premier League is famous for going on during the time of Christmas and New Year, with games coming up thick and fast.





Mourinho is of view that the Premier League sides find it hard to compete in the knockout stages of the Champions League since other sides are refreshed from having a winter break.





Is the Champions League easier for teams outside the Premier League to deal with?



Jose Mourinho seems to think so https://t.co/3xhBOEa72Q pic.twitter.com/itn02GYLMx — Goal (@goal) November 16, 2017





Speaking to the Mirror, as reported by ​Goal, Mourinho said, “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. So I think they arrive in better condition than the English teams."





The former Chelsea and Real Madrid boss also believes that the level of competition in England makes it difficult to rest top players, something that is not the case in other top leagues in Europe.







Mourinho: Champions League harder for English teams #epl @GoalUK: The Manchester United boss believes the winter schedule in England makes life harder on clubs looking to compete for the European crown https://t.co/PRnQCMnxvg pic.twitter.com/ZpzJpu25qe — EPL Feeds (@eplfeeds) November 16, 2017





“It’s also a fact that any match you play in this country, if you don’t go strong, you lose. 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," the Portuguese added.



