Inter Milan manager Jose Mourinho has taken a veiled swipe at the current standard of the Premier League as he ran the rule over the achievements of Carlo Ancelotti in his first season in charge of Chelsea. The Italian coach saw his Stamford Bridge outfit secure their first Double when they beat Portsmouth on Saturday at Wembley; a feat that not even the ‘Special One’ achieved despite his considerable success in England.
However, speaking ahead of this weekend’s Champions League final the Portuguese coach stressed that while he was pleased for the Blues, it was the lack of consistency amongst their rivals which opened the door for more silverware in west London. Pinpointing the struggles faced by Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool, Mourinho also took time to dismiss championship challenge from the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa and Manchester City.
Mourinho won the Premier League title twice while coach at Chelsea, beating off competition from Arsene Wenger’s ‘invincible’ Arsenal side to win the title by 12 points in 2004-05 before retaining their crown by holding off the likes of Rafael Benitez’s Liverpool and Sir Alex Ferguson’s previously dominant Manchester United.
Quitting the following season to be replaced by Avram Grant, Mourinho’s former side reached the Champions League final in Moscow, only to be beaten by Manchester United on penalties. Having also surrendered their Premier League title to the men from Old Trafford and subsequently seen Liverpool overtake them in the league in 2008-09 it has been a resurgent Chelsea side who has confidently taken the field under Ancelotti in the last nine months. Speaking to the Sunday Times about the competition he faced in England, Mourinho started by targeting Arsene Wenger's shift in philosophy at Arsenal before hammering Liverpool for their gradual decline:
“Arsenal won it in an incredible way [2003-04] and after that they thought they could win in a different way.
“They cannot win it in a different way. Either they go back to where they were or they don’t do it.
“Man United lost Ronaldo. Okay, the coach is a tremendous coach, the team is full of great players, but Ronaldo is Ronaldo, and he scores 30 goals a season. Ronaldo wins points and points and points. When a club and the league lose a player like Ronaldo it loses a lot.
“Liverpool is an incredible phenomenon. From 2004 to 2010 it looks like the team instead of improving is getting worse. Tottenham is coming, Aston Villa is coming, Man City is coming, but I think that magic of a fight of titans, all of them very, very strong in the top of the League, I don’t see this season was like this.
“Chelsea was out of Champions League very, very soon. They could concentrate on the championship — and they did it very well. Carlo is very experienced, he kept the team calm and focused, and he didn’t let them lose focus and confidence. They concentrate very, very well in the championship, and they deserve to win it in the end.”
However, speaking ahead of this weekend’s Champions League final the Portuguese coach stressed that while he was pleased for the Blues, it was the lack of consistency amongst their rivals which opened the door for more silverware in west London. Pinpointing the struggles faced by Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool, Mourinho also took time to dismiss championship challenge from the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa and Manchester City.
Mourinho won the Premier League title twice while coach at Chelsea, beating off competition from Arsene Wenger’s ‘invincible’ Arsenal side to win the title by 12 points in 2004-05 before retaining their crown by holding off the likes of Rafael Benitez’s Liverpool and Sir Alex Ferguson’s previously dominant Manchester United.
Quitting the following season to be replaced by Avram Grant, Mourinho’s former side reached the Champions League final in Moscow, only to be beaten by Manchester United on penalties. Having also surrendered their Premier League title to the men from Old Trafford and subsequently seen Liverpool overtake them in the league in 2008-09 it has been a resurgent Chelsea side who has confidently taken the field under Ancelotti in the last nine months. Speaking to the Sunday Times about the competition he faced in England, Mourinho started by targeting Arsene Wenger's shift in philosophy at Arsenal before hammering Liverpool for their gradual decline:
“Arsenal won it in an incredible way [2003-04] and after that they thought they could win in a different way.
“They cannot win it in a different way. Either they go back to where they were or they don’t do it.
“Man United lost Ronaldo. Okay, the coach is a tremendous coach, the team is full of great players, but Ronaldo is Ronaldo, and he scores 30 goals a season. Ronaldo wins points and points and points. When a club and the league lose a player like Ronaldo it loses a lot.
“Liverpool is an incredible phenomenon. From 2004 to 2010 it looks like the team instead of improving is getting worse. Tottenham is coming, Aston Villa is coming, Man City is coming, but I think that magic of a fight of titans, all of them very, very strong in the top of the League, I don’t see this season was like this.
“Chelsea was out of Champions League very, very soon. They could concentrate on the championship — and they did it very well. Carlo is very experienced, he kept the team calm and focused, and he didn’t let them lose focus and confidence. They concentrate very, very well in the championship, and they deserve to win it in the end.”
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