This Tuesday, the Benfica by José Mourinho moves on the lawn of Chelsea. Enough to remember good memories in the Portuguese coach.
José Mourinho returns Tuesday (9:00 p.m.) with Benfica to Stamford Bridge, the Chelsea stadium where the «Special One» Forged his reputation as a boiling coach and enriched his giant record, without keeping friends there, however.
“It’s a stadium where I won three Premier League“he recalls in an interview with UEFA. “Chelsea belongs to my story, I belong to that of Chelsea. But it’s football: they want to win, I want to win “.
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It is in the shoes of the Petit Poucet and with his best years behind him that the 62 -year -old Portuguese finds the London blues, his former protégés, for the second day of the Champions League.
«Mou» Landed in the British capital in July 2004 with the reputation of a brilliant young forty -year -old, just sacred in the great European Cup with Porto.
And already, this provocative side that sticks to his skin: “Please don’t say I’m arrogant because what I say is true: I am European champion (…) and I think I am someone special”.
The «Special One» was born, the tone is set and the trophies soon arrive.
Chelsea hadn’t won the championship since 1955? He won it twice in a row, who was entry in 2005 and 2006, in the nose and beard of the Manchester United in Alex Ferguson, the hegemonic club of the decade.
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His team stacks records from its first season in the Premier League, and some still hold: no home defeat, only 15 goals conceded, 9 outside, 25 «clean sheets» (matches without taking a goal) in 38 days.
“I remain number 1”
In short, Mourinho puts Chelsea back in the center of the village, sportingly and media speaking. Because the Portuguese does not only win, it causes and feeds controversy, it gets carried away against the referees, UEFA or Arsène Wenger, the Arsenal coach.
She is a real star, that his supporters adore and that adversaries hate.
However, this double face turns against him when he returned to Stamford Bridge, in 2007 with Manchester United. Part of the public turns against the one who won a total of seven national titles (three in the league, three in the League Cup and one in the England Cup) and directed more than 320 matches during two mandates (2004-2007 then 2013-2015).
Some supporters sing “You are no longer special!” or the deal of «Judas». Him replies: “Until they find a coach who will win four championships, I remain the N.1. When they find this manager, then I will be N.2. In the meantime, Judas is n.1. “
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“Right now the team has no identity”
Mourinho’s career has since been shattered since, whether in Tottenham, AS Rome or Fenerbahçe, who put it at the end of August after elimination in Champions League play -offs … against Benfica.
His first three matches at the head of the Lisbon Eagles were not particularly convincing, notably Friday’s short victory against Gil Vicente (2-1).
“Right now the team has no identity, she lives in a gray area between the ideas of the previous coach and mine”he summed up. But “Mentality, resilience and humility” Are there, he added.
In his new functions, Mourinho is undefeated. The Chelsea of Enzo Maresca, on the other hand, comes out of a month of September without a championship victory (a draw then two defeats) and with a defeat against Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
The Blues also have a busy infirmary, notably with Wesley Fofana, Liam Delap and Cole Palmer in large absent. All the ingredients for a stroke of «Mou»?
