http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=448663&root=england&cc=4716
Chelsea are still the best, says Mournho
Updated: July 29, 2007
Last season Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho won two trophies but was still
criticised for not retaining the Premier League title or winning the
Champions League.
The Portuguese coach took time out from his preparations for the new
campaign to talk to ESPNsoccernet Press Pass interviewer, and former
Chelsea centre-back, Frank Leboeuf about his plans for the imminent
season.
‧ Leboeuf: Last season, you did good to win two trophies [FA Cup and
League Cup] But is a disappointment to not have done something in the
Champions League and the Championship?
‧ Jose Mourinho: Yes, we can say yes. We had a big team with big players,
in the two previous years we were champions, you always want evolution and
you want more, but the reality was that we had problems, we had many
problems. Too much problems, too much important injuries, you know well
that Michael Essien is a crucial player for us in midfield, he played half
of the season at centre back.
John [Terry] is a great captain for us, half of the season he was out.
Robben and Joe Cole, they are creative players, half of the season,
without them, so in the team and in the season we rely on three or four
players; Drogba, Lampard, Carvalho because they were there all season. But
the other players, one is in, one is out, one has a problem, so the season
was difficult to have an evolution in the team. It was just about getting
a result to survive.
Get a result to progress in Champions League, get a result to progress in
the Cup, get a result for not to open the gap to Man United. It was not
about making the team better, was just about survive, so at the end of the
day, we won the two trophies, the Cup was the first in Wembley, so it
means a lot. Chelsea won the last in Old Wembley and wins the first in the
new Wembley, means a lot.
The Champions League semi-finals, lose on penalties, is a bad, is a bad
feeling so the season was not so bad and I think we can build on that
disappointment to create a situation of more motivation for this season.
I talked to John Terry and asked him about his goals for next season. I
asked him about the Championship, and the Champions League, it was more
going towards the Championship.
Yes.
Because he's English maybe, it means a lot to him.
Yes, it's their mentality.
Yeah, and for you? Do you have a choice? I know you want to win everything
but...
You know, you want to win everything but we all know in modern football it
is difficult to win everything. So for example last season, we and Man
United, we were in the four in the last months of the competitions and in
the end Man United wins only the Championship and we win only the two
cups, so is very difficult in modern football to do it.
But at the same time we have the squad, Man United has the squad,
Liverpool has the squad so you never know what can happen. I cannot choose
between one and another one. I won the Champions League before, and I know
that sometimes details make the difference, you know the year I won we
score a goal in Old Trafford in the last minute of extra time.
So it's about luck or so...
If you don't score, you are out. Last season we lose on penalties. And
Robben is a fantastic penalty taker, misses a crucial penalty, the first
penalty, so I think Champions League is a little bit about details, and
Championship is about the best team.
Consistency?
During 12, not 12 but during 10 months, consistency to win the
competition.
By consistency, you didn't change the team a lot, so maybe you didn't buy
lots of players. So maybe Manchester or Liverpool will stop complaining
about Chelsea spending too much money.
Yes, yes.
But why that consistency, do you think have the best team?
The consistency is an answer to what I was saying to you before. We had
problems last season, and I believe without problems, we are the best team
with best conditions so what I hope for this season is that stability,
without so many injuries and I don't believe is possible because all the
injuries were traumatic injuries. We didn't have the tear, the little
problem - we had all this problem surgery.
Yeah, like Petr Cech.
Everybody surgery, so eight surgeries in a season is something difficult
so I believe in the same squad
Malouda is a great player and brings a lot to the team. Pizarro is a
striker that we don't have. He's different than Didier, he's different
than Sheva, I think adapted to English football - in my opinion Pizarro
can play in English football well. So it give us something more. Ben Haim,
I'm not saying he's a super player because we have Carvalho and Terry, but
to give us the protection we need in the back, as a third man, I think
he's also fine, so I think we have a good squad.
--------------------
Find out what tactics Jose Mourinho is planning for the new season and how
he plans to keep his players happy in Part II of this interview on
ESPNsoccernet Press Pass on Monday.
--
But you saved me! As difficult and as frustrating as it's been sometimes,
your goddamn strict rationalism and science have saved me a thousand times
over! You've kept me honest, made me a whole person. I owe you everything,
Scully, and you owe me nothing. I don't know if I wanna do this alone...
I don't even know if I can... and if I quit now, they win.
- Fox Mulder
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