Mourinho targets Real Champions League win in two years

MADRID: A confident Jose Mourinho said he will need only two years to win the Champions League with Real Madrid after he was officially unveiled as the Spanish giants' new coach on Monday.

Mourinho joined Real on a four-year deal in the wake of leading Inter Milan to an historic treble of successes in Italy's Serie A championship, the Italian Cup and Champions League. And after replacing Manuel Pellegrini, sacked last week after a barren season having spent 250 million euros on new players including Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka and Xabi Alonso, Mourinho feels he can do far better than the 56-year-old Chilean.

"The second year is key, it is the year when you find the right balance. It was during my second year at Chelsea that we reached the Champions League final. It was during my second year that we won the Champions League at Inter Milan," he said. "I want to say that we don't need much time to build a coherent team, to build a team that meets its objectives," the 47-year-old Portuguese coach added.

Real have been crowned kings of Europe nine times but their last Champions League triumph came in 2002. Under Pellegrini this season Real finished runners-up to arch rivals Barcelona in the league, exited the Champions League at the last-16 stage and spectacularly crashed out of the King's Cup to third division Alcorcon.

Mourinho said little about what changes, if any, he would bring to the squad, placing his focus on the need to forge a winning identity throughout the club. "It's too early to speak about changes. I believe it is time to analyse the situation, to get to know my club, ask lots of questions and get answers. I need to realise the direction of my work," he said. "The most important thing is not the coach or the players but the club.

We are too small compared to the dimension of the club. If we work as a group, it's not difficult to get results." Mourinho made his name when he led FC Porto to the Champions League title in 2004.

A hugely successful spell followed at Chelsea, and despite leaving the club before they went on to lose the 2008 final to Manchester United he resurrected his career with Inter. His two-year spell at the Serie A side has left him as one of the most in-demand coaches in football.

"The promise I make to Real is that I am Jose Mourinho and Jose Mourinho works hard, works well, is very dedicated and aims to break limits," the Portuguese coach said. "I am a coach that has a lot of self-esteem and confidence and I don't think about the possibility of being sacked," he added. "I think four years of contract is enough to win, to build a strong team for the present and the future.

"I have a lot of confidence in my players, I have the hope that my new players have confidence in me." Mourinho becomes Real's 10th coach in as many seasons, during a period when their great rivals Barcelona have had just two with better results and titles.

"I am a coach that has a lot of self-esteem and confidence and I don't think about the possibility of being sacked," he said. "I think four years of contract is enough to win, to build a strong team for the present and the future. "I have a lot of confidence in my players, I have the hope that my new players have confidence in me."