Jose Mourinho looked to the right, left, smiling at the photo of a young self-lifting who lifted three Premier League trophies as Chelsea manager.
The man who once called himself “special” returned to Stamford Bridge on Monday. New position As Benfica’s coach, he was faced with images of the past when he was considered the best manager in the world.
“Of course I always go blue,” Mourinho said with a smile as he spoke at a press conference the day before Benfica played Chelsea in his first Champions League match in five years.
“I’m part of their history, they’re part of my history. They helped them become a bigger Chelsea and they helped me become a bigger Jose.”
Mourinho had two spells with Chelsea. The first was from 2004 to 2007 when he infused British football, completely captivated it, and it was a breath of fresh air. His second stint in 2013-15 was less successful, but he included his third Premier League title.
It’s no wonder he’s still respected by fans in this region of southwest London. He also praised the photos scattered around the suite, where he was talking to reporters inside Stamford Bridge.
Mourinho’s “Legend”
A few hours ago, current Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca described Mourinho as a legend and said it would be a “privilege” to bring him back to the club for Tuesday’s game.
“For me personally, he is a legend of this club,” Maresca said. “And from Italy, he is also a legend of Inter (Milan), who won the Champions League, and he is a legend of various clubs around the world.
“It shows how good he is, how good he is.”
Mourinho will be an emotional return to London for Mourinho, who wanted to assure Benfica fans one thing.
“It’s my Chelsea until the start, it’s my Chelsea after the game. During the game, that’s my Benfica, and that’s all that matters,” he said.
After joining Benfica after a turbulent stint Fenerbafe In Türkiye, Mourinho won two games and pulled out one. All are in the Portuguese League. This will be his first match in the Champions League since 2020 when he was in Tottenham.
“Twenty-five years later, Mourinho said, “I was hoping to go back to Benfica and return to Portugal, not Benfica. So I don’t have a career project.
Maresca’s Reminder
Chelsea have lost three of their past four games in all competitions. It’s two Premier League matches and one Champions League match. He put some pressure on Maresca, who led his team to the Conference League and Club World Cup titles at the end of last season.
Maresca felt he needed to remind himself of these achievements in his first year and also pointed out Chelsea’s five losses over the past six months.
Maresca was asked what more he needs to do to get similar popularity as Mourinho’s.
“I remember the moments from last season. Fans were beginning to sing, ‘Chelsea is back.’ Certainly (it’s popular with fans), that’s not my target.
Maresca said midfielders Moises Kayseko and Andrei Santos and striker Joa Pedro are concerned about injuries due to “a small problem.”
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