LONDON: Jose Mourinho has claimed that this time around he is no longer the Special One but the Happy One at the start of his second spell as Chelsea manager.

In front of 250 accredited media, flash bulbs and camera lenses followed Mourinho’s every move as he was officially unveiled as Chelsea’s new – and newly-styled diplomatic – manager.

He even rode a question about Andres Iniesta’s claim that Mourinho had damaged Spanish football while at Real Madrid.

“I believe I’m a calmer person now,” said Mourinho, who has signed a four-year contract. “Nine years is a big difference. When I arrived here in 2004 you pushed me a lot in that first press conference to have a strong approach, and in this moment the situation is different.

“You know me. You know my history in the British game, and the European game, so I don’t think I need that approach. I just want to be calm. I’m in the best moment of my career in terms of knowledge and experience. I feel very calm and comfortable.”

Diplomatic

Mourinho had his clashes before with Sir Alex Ferguson, Rafael Benitez and Arsene Wenger but has made a diplomatic restart.

He said: “If I have to choose a nickname for this period, I’d choose ‘the Happy One’ because I’m very happy. This is the first time I arrive at a club where I already love the club.

“I want to be respected for what I did in the past for this club, but I want to be loved for what I can do from now.”

Mourinho won back-to-back titles during his first two years in charge and he also lifted the League Cup twice and the FA Cup once.

Despite his success at the club, Mourinho leftChelseaunder a cloud in 2007 amid speculation that his relationship with club owner Roman Abramovich had turned sour.

Mourinho insisted that was not the case and he is adamant that he has a good relationship with “the boss”.

“That’s not true, for a start,” Mourinho said when asked about the reported breakdown in the relationship between he and Abramovich six years ago.

“I read and I kept hearing that I was fired, that we had a complete break of relationship. That was not true. Many people didn’t believe that, but it was mutual agreement. At the time we thought it was best for both of us, me and the club.

“That’s why it was possible for me to be here today. We are ready to work together again.”

Personnel changes

Chelsea have changed a lot since Mourinho took them through their most successful spell in recent memory. John Terry and Frank Lampard are now in the twilight of their respective careers while Didier Drogba has left.

The Portuguese has grown wiser following his experiences across Europe though and he sees no reason why he cannot go on to match or improve his efforts from last time around, when he won five trophies.

“I want to believe it’s possible,” he said.”I always trust my work. I know many of the people that belong to the club, and I know the kind of mentality and ambition people have.

“My career was built and based on success, and I was able to reach success and to win trophies so I have to believe in that. That’s a normal message I want to go to my players – work hard and work with quality.

“The club is much more important than ourselves. We are nobody compared to the club. If you work well, success normally arrives.”

 

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