I am better than before, says Jose Mourinho

Chelsea manager warns rivals of bid to win titles through experience.

BANGKOK:

Jose Mourinho has warned that he is returning to Chelsea as a much better manager as he bids to win back the Premier League trophy and secure an elusive Champions League title with the London club.

Mourinho, looking greyer and weightier than English fans will remember, said his experiences at Inter Milan and Real Madrid would put him in good stead in his second stint.

“I think some white hair in my case is a good sign because it means that I’m better now than before,” he told journalists in Bangkok, where he will begin his new era with a pre-season friendly on Wednesday.

“I think I’m better now because my job is the kind where experience means a lot,” explained the Portuguese.

“Especially like in my case after my period with Chelsea I went around Europe, I had two years in Italy, three years in Spain, so I have more football culture than before.

“My job is about that, it’s about learning experiences.”

Mourinho, 50, is a good bet to return the Premier League trophy to Chelsea after winning back-to-back titles as well as two League Cups and the FA Cup during his first stint from 2004 to 2007.

At Inter Milan, he achieved the Italian treble of the Champions League, Serie A and the Coppa Italia in 2010 during another trophy-laden spell, and he also won La Liga during a more mixed time with Real Madrid.

Now he is hoping to build a lasting legacy at Chelsea and emulate his achievement at both Porto and Inter of winning the Champions League for the first time with the Blues.

Mourinho to frown down upon failure

Mourinho, who brashly announced himself as ‘the Special One’ when he first arrived at Chelsea but now prefers the ‘Happy One’, admitted he would not be smiling when the team loses for the first time.

“Until the first defeat I will be very happy. When the first defeat comes I won’t be the same,” he said. “I’m very sad when my team doesn’t win. But it’s up to them to help me and to support me and try to get a good result every match for our club.”  

Published in The Express Tribune, July 14^th, 2013.

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