From living in Europe to training in Asia, Jose Mourinho sees the bright side of coaching | Football News
With his last four coaching roles resulting in early departures from the clubs, Jose Mourinho is now spending his coaching stint with Turkish club Fenerbahce staying on the European side across the Bosphorus and training with the team on the Asian side of the Turkish city of Istanbul.
The 61-year-old manager hit the headlines again during his side’s 1-1 draw against Manchester United in the Europa League last week, where he received a red card after protesting a penalty decision in the second half. Talking with Sky Sports, Mourinho shared how he saw the match as a pleasure for him and his team.
“The match against United was a pleasure for me. To see what every coach wants to see, which is seeing what you prepared. Sometimes you prepare things, and you don’t see it, but (on Thursday) the players played at their maximum level, because there is a difference between the two leagues and the two teams. For me to stand in the dressing room and see everyone sad with the result was a fantastic feeling, because normally if you get a point from Manchester United you are happy,” shared Mourinho while speaking with Sky Sports in a 20-minute long interview.
“I asked Sir Alex [Ferguson] does the feeling change with the years he told me no” 😅
José Mourinho on the passion he has for football 🙌 pic.twitter.com/a9hoyno8YS
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) October 29, 2024
Most of the talk in football circles this week has been about Erik ten Hag being sacked by Manchester United. Mourinho, who has won two Champions League and three Premier League titles in his managerial career so far, had a two-year stint with Manchester United from 2016 to 2018 and saw United win the Europa Cup in his first year before being sacked in 2018. Post the match against United on Thursday, the Portuguese had told the media about his next job to be at a club in England not involved in European football. He termed it as a joke in the interview.
“I made a joke. I’m never going to a team fighting relegation. I will never go. I get upset, and I’m not in the period of my career to get upset. I’m in the period of my career to be happy all the time and at this moment playing in European competitions, I am getting upset all the time. But I’m not going to fight relegation. It’s too hard! Honestly, I believe that has to be the hardest thing. It’s more difficult than playing for titles. It has to be very hard emotionally, because it’s something that changes lives. I think it’s brave guys that do it,” said Mourinho.
Mourinho would also talk about him staying on the European side and training on the Asian side in the capital city. “My training ground is in Asia. I leave here and travel to the other side. It’s not dramatic. It’s less time than I used to do from London to Cobham (Chelsea Training Ground), and if one day I am unlucky and something is wrong on the bridge, I get the boat to the other side. It’s eight minutes, and then another 10 minutes to the training ground,” said the coach.
And the travel talk is followed by his conversations with former United manager Sir Alex Ferguson on being a changed coach or person apart from losing the desire and hunger to coach. “I cannot lose that desire and hunger, because if you lose it’s better to stop. I always remember going with Real Madrid to Old Trafford for a Champions League big match and Sir Alex invited me to his office before the game. We were looking at each other quite relaxed – but we were not relaxed – and I said to him. ‘Sir Alex, do you change with age? Do you change with the years? Does the feeling change?’ And he told me ‘no!’ It doesn’t change’,” said Mourinho.
With Thomas Tuchel taking over the role of England coach starting next year, Mourinho, who has a three-year contract with the Turkish side, also shared about his wish to coach England one day but denied him being contacted for the England job in the past. “Today, no. I still have too much energy to play one match per month, I need to play matches. Yes, I think it’s something I’d like to do, to have experience of playing at a World Cup, a Euros. To represent the country, my country or a country I feel connected to. One day I feel it will come, but not now,” said Mourinho.
