The Mourinho Thread

[Sheva. 5,373]

Spoke to the media today:

During a break between two training sessions on the second day of our European training camp, the Portuguese spoke about his hopes for our Premier League and Champions League campaigns.

Speaking in a conference room at the team’s hotel in Velden, Austria, shortly after overseeing an intense early morning session, Mourinho acknowledged the competitive nature of the top flight in England, but said he is confident his side can wrestle the title from Manchester City’s grasp.

‘If I didn’t think that way I would go home and let somebody else take charge of the team,’ said the Chelsea manager. ‘People can speak about other leagues but England is the only country where five or six teams can win the title. Football is about competitiveness every weekend and that only happens in the Premier League.

‘When you have the two Manchester clubs, the three clubs from London – Tottenham, Arsenal and ourselves – plus Liverpool, that’s six top teams, where all of them can win the title. That’s why everybody loves the Premier League.

‘At Chelsea, if we didn’t think we could win the league, or didn’t think we had the quality to do it, we wouldn’t be here working so hard. We respect our opponents and their ambitions, because they have the same ambitions as us, but we want to win the Premier League and we are ready for that.’

Last season’s Champions League campaign ultimately ended in disappointment when we were beaten at the semi-final stage by Atletico Madrid.

The Blues boss, however, believes our run to the last four will serve us well this time around.

‘Last year we reached the semi-finals and it was a transitional season,’ he said. ‘A team which has been a winning team for ten seasons is changing step by step, we’ve bought new players and we are trying to build for the next decade. We had a very young team at the time but, even so, we reached the semi-finals and were playing to win the competition.

‘This season we think we are going to be stronger, the younger players are more experienced, they are stable and better adapted to fighting for titles. You look around, to Spain, Germany and elsewhere in England, teams are getting stronger, spending big amounts of money and trying to sign the best possible players.

‘We will go to the Champions League group stage with one objective: to qualify. When you reach the last 16 let’s see what happens.’

The Blues play our first game of the trip tomorrow against WAC RZ Pellets, and Mourinho has praised the manner in which the team have been received in Austria by local residents.

‘When we decided we wanted to stay in Europe we had to find the right place to come,’ he explained. ‘Here, everything is good; the hotel, the service, the training ground. To have two training pitches together is important for our work and our organisation.

‘The people are very nice and friendly and they always wait until the end of our training session to ask for an autograph. At this moment everything is very nice for us.’

http://www.chelseafc.com/news/latest-news/2014/07/mourinho--big-ambitions.html

[Milan 17,862]

Jose's PC after a long time

[Viper22 2,418]

Maybe i'm being too positive, but I really do believe that even if we don't win any trophies this year as long as we show progression and that we're going in the right direction Jose will keep his job.

I understand that we would all be disappointed with 2 seasons without silverware, especially with the squad we have but I do think that Abramovich and Mourinho are trying to build some kind of stability. I liken it to a relationship between 2 people early on in their lives, left each other because they thought they could get better, trying out many other partners before realising that the best they could get was the first one they were with. And they had to be with other people to realise just how good they were together.

Sounds a weird analogy but that's what I feel it's like. Mourinho is by far the best manager we've ever had, and he never looked happier than when he was here, managing us. I feel like they're trying to build something here, with a manager that stays for at least 5+ years bringing through youth and building a dynasty similar to how Man Utd did in the first 20 years of the PL.

Winning a trophy this year is almost a must due to the pressure that would be heaped on him otherwise, but I wouldn't lose faith as long as we keep moving forward.

[Sidzeret 2,257]

Maybe i'm being too positive, but I really do believe that even if we don't win any trophies this year as long as we show progression and that we're going in the right direction Jose will keep his job.

I understand that we would all be disappointed with 2 seasons without silverware, especially with the squad we have but I do think that Abramovich and Mourinho are trying to build some kind of stability. I liken it to a relationship between 2 people early on in their lives, left each other because they thought they could get better, trying out many other partners before realising that the best they could get was the first one they were with. And they had to be with other people to realise just how good they were together.

Sounds a weird analogy but that's what I feel it's like. Mourinho is by far the best manager we've ever had, and he never looked happier than when he was here, managing us. I feel like they're trying to build something here, with a manager that stays for at least 5+ years bringing through youth and building a dynasty similar to how Man Utd did in the first 20 years of the PL.

Winning a trophy this year is almost a must due to the pressure that would be heaped on him otherwise, but I wouldn't lose faith as long as we keep moving forward.

Absolutely. Another transition period is going to be pretty hard to handle. I don't want to experience it for a very very long time.

[iseah100 5,612]

Jose Mourinho: "I have a message for Frank. Good luck and see you back at Chelsea in a couple of years.” (Telegraph)

Awwwwwww(:

Ssssssss'cute!

[Parky 739]

http://www.espnfc.com/story/1959596/jose-mourinhochelsea-would-welcome-back-didier-drogba

Chelsea would welcome back Didier Drogba if a deal can be worked out, Jose Mourinho said on Thursday, with the Blues manager insisting that "Didier belongs to us."

Drogba's contract at Galatasaray expired at the end of last season and he is currently a free agent.

The 36-year-old striker spent eight years at Stamford Bridge from 2004-2012 and scored the equaliser and winning penalty in the 2012 Champions League final. He then left for one-year stints in China and Turkey.

"We want to win matches and win titles, and Didier is one of the best strikers in Europe, who is still very adapted to the needs of the Premier League, and we are thinking about it in a non-emotional way," said Mourinho.

"If you bring him back, it is not because he is Didier or scored the most important goal in the history of Chelsea, or because I read I need an assistant, no.

"If I bring him back -- and the decision has to be made soon, because I want to close the dressing-room door -- it is because as a player he has certain qualities to make the team stronger."

Mourinho also said Drogba has the full support of owner Roman Abramovich, and revealed the personal attachments the Russian billionaire has toward his players. "Mr Abramovich does not speak a lot," Mourinho said. "But as you can imagine, he is very intelligent and he feels that people belong to the club. We feel that Didier belongs to us."

Although Chelsea said farewell to 36-year-old talisman Frank Lampard earlier this summer, Mourinho said Drogba's age would not greatly affect his spot on the squad.

"I was not a top professional player," said Mourinho. "I communicate a lot with players and former players to understand the situation better.

"When they become older, the point is not to lose quality as a player, it is about how they recover from match to match.

"A young kid plays today and in 48 hours is ready to play the next game. And in a season can play 50 matches. Between 20 something and 30, they are the same good players, same football brains. It is important how they recover from match to match.

"With Didier's profile, being a squad player I think could be important for any team. And because we know his heart is pushing him to where he feels he belongs, and because our boss has this big feeling towards him, we are thinking about the possibility."

Lampard signed this week for New York City FC, but Mourinho said he expects Chelsea's all-time leading goal scorer to return to Chelsea after his playing career concludes.

"The way Mr Abramovich approached the Frank Lampard situation is amazing," said Mourinho. "'You go if you want to go, you come back if you want to come back. And you come back the way you want -- to be an assistant, to be an ambassador, to be a director to be a coach, to be an assistant coach.' That is fantastic.

"I have a message for Frank. Good luck and see you back at Chelsea in a couple of years."

[Heisenberg 1,824]

" being a squad player I think could be important for any team "

Knowing Didier's motivation and drive he could become our N°1 striker for at least the Champions League, but maybe its just a deluded fan who is saying this.

[iseah100 5,612]

Drogba belongs to US!:wub:^_^

[Madmax 9,219]

Mourinho abandons the bus ...

[Styles 9,790]

Mourinho abandons the bus ...

The bus is in the garage being prepared for the new season

[Madmax 9,219]

The bus is in the garage being prepared for the new season

Parked buses need preparation too?

[1chelsea 864]

Jose thought we are finished from the transfer market?? Now DDrogber is there any other surprises?? Tricky Mo

[kellzfresh 7,229]

[Blue Armour 4,323]

Parked buses need preparation too?

The bus is a transformer in disguise

[Henrique 9,133]

And the European argument is null and void. The strongest the league, the less likely of teams from that league doing well in the European. Isn't that obvious such as 1+1=2?

You must be joking right?

The best leagues in the world must be from Ukrain, Portugal, Russia...those leagues are so strong that the teams can't even reach UCL semi-finals. You do know one thing or two about null and void argument.

[petre.ispirescu 4,928]

You must be joking right?

The bets leagues in the world must be from Ukrain, Portugal, Russia...those leagues are so strong that the teams can't even reach UCL semi-finals. You do know one thing or two about null and void argument.

I think she was referring strictly to the best five leagues in Europe.

The chances for Chelsea to get United/City/Arsenal/Liverpool/Spurs in between a Champions League tie are bigger than Madrid to draw Barcelona or Atletico.

You can also have something like Arsenal on Saturday, Borussia on Wednesday, United on Saturday and Borussia on Tuesday. While Madrid will never get such fixtures. Spanish federation and other leagues also allow their teams to postpone games, a thing that the FA never does. They only allow you to move the game by a day, at the very best.

So yes, there is a bigger chance for other leagues to have more teams in the final stages of the European competitions given their level of competitiveness and schedule.

[Henrique 9,133]

There is a difference between saying the EPL clubs are the strongest in the world, and saying the EPL, as a league, is the strongest.

If you look at the Spanish league (with the notable exception this year), it's a two horse race. This is not a strong league, this is a weak league with two strong teams,

What I mean by this is, put our league's two strongest sides (City and Chelsea) against La Liga's (Real Madrid and Barcelona) and we certainly wouldn't have a chance. But put our third strongest side (Liverpool) against theirs, then our fourth strongest (Arsenal, M. United, Tottenham, Everton), against theirs, etc. etc. and eventually you will reach the conclusion that, as a league, the EPL is much much stronger.

Well, I'm not sure top 5 PLl clubs from last season are that superior when compared to La Liga ones. Is Chelsea better than Real Madrid? Is Liverpool better than Barcelona? (Suarez left one and joined the other one for a reason). Perhaps Arsenal is better than Sevilla, Spurs better than Valencia, but form me Internazionale and Fiorentina are also better than those teams, but are Arsenal, Spurs, Valencia, Sevilla and Fiorentina that make a league the strongest one?

Perhaos PL is as strong as La Liga and Bundesliga, but not THE strongest as claimed by many. About the two horse argument, as I said before, "with the notable exception this year", PL has always bees a two horse race. Sometimes you just change the name of the horses, but since 2004 United have been one of the horses every single season, with the exception of 2003, 2004 and 2014. The rest of the seasons were United/Liverpool, United/Chelsea, United/City, and no to mention the one horse race we had in 2005, 2006, 2013.

The talk about 4 or 6 teams fighting for the trophy started in last 4 years, and as I said before, its not a coincidence that PL looked more competitive when Liverpool, Chelsea, United and Arsenal couldn't rebuild teams that were once world beaters. Years ago a decisive match between Real Madrid or Bayern and a PL giant had a predictable outcome. To be honest its not a surprise anymore if a team like PSG, Atletico de Madrid or Borussia Dortmund manage to beat Chelsea. Someone happened in the last 4 or 5 years, and for many reasons PL is not the strongest anymore.

If Mourinho manage to build another world beater team, that scenario might change again, because I do believe Mourinhos tactic combined with Roman's money was the reason PL was once the strongest league in the world.

[Namika 922]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2706032/Jose-Mourinho-relishing-new-season-HIS-Chelsea-team-wants-Premier-League-title.html

Talks about Costa, transfers...

"I can play Azpilicueta right back and Ivanovic centre back because of Filipe."