‘Special One’ Jose eyes an English return
CHELSEA V/S INTER MILAN
JOSE MOURINHO has reiterated his desire to return to manage in England one day after stepping foot back inside Stamford Bridge last night.
The Inter Milan boss returned for the first time since his shock sacking in September 2007 as he entertained the media ahead of tonight’s Champions League last-16 second leg showdown with Chelsea.
Mourinho won every domestic honour with the Blues in his three-and-a-half years at the club, losing just one home game in that time.
But despite taking Inter to the top of the Serie A table, his relationship with the Italian fans and media remains frosty and Mourinho admits he still dreams of a Premier League return.
“I have, as I said before, three things to do in my career – one is to come back to English football; another thing is to win the Spanish championship, because no-one has won Italian, English and Spanish titles; and another one, when I’m old, is to coach my national team. Of his Chelsea exit, he added: “I feel sorry but I look forward. I feel sorry because, when I look at the big four teams while I was in England, they [the managers] are all there. Sir Alex Ferguson is here. Arsene Wenger is here. Rafa Benitez is here. I did more than enough to be here. But the decision was made. Chelsea looked forward. I look forward. They move on. I move on. I keep winning important things. They keep winning.”
Out of respect for his former club, the self-proclaimed “Special One” insisted there will no repeat of his crazy touchline celebrations if Inter end Chelsea’s Champions League dream tonight. “I can’t do this in Chelsea, I can’t do this. My celebrations will be restrained if we win out of respect,” he added.
“Because it’s Chelsea. Because it’s the team where I worked for three and a half years, the same people, the same players, the same supporters who made me feel incredible every time we played in this stadium.”
New Blues chief Carlo Ancelotti, however, insists Mourinho’s return will not distract the Chelsea players, many of whom he worked alongside.
“For Mourinho, it’ll be a special evening. The fans will give him a very good reception, one he deserves,” he said. “The Chelsea players and Inter players are focused on the game, an important game. The other things they’re not interested in.”