Mourinho: I made the careers of Lampard, Terry and Drogba

[RedMersey]

I made the careers of Lampard, Terry and Drogba, says Mourinho

 

 

Chris Hatherall

Saturday April 7, 2007

The Guardian

 

The Chelsea manager, Jose Mourinho, has further added to his own assertion of being the "Special One" by claiming in a Portugese newspaper that he made the careers of John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba.

 

Reflecting on his style of leadership, Mourinho said. "Leadership can be felt in the smallest of things, in the smallest details, with a look from, or just the presence of, the leader himself," he said. "I have players who say to me that when they do a drill in which I do not take part my absence makes all the difference.

 

"For a period at Chelsea I deliberately stopped acting as a leader and thought 'let's see what's going to happen'. I came to the conclusion that it is not possible for me to step away. Even if the group is strong after two, three, four years' work, my leadership has to be applied every day."

 

He is also adamant that his best players have become great only since he worked with them. He said: "Who were Lampard, Terry, Drogba two years ago? - they were not world stars. "In this moment who are they? - they are like [Andriy] Shevchenko or [Michael] Ballack.

 

"Up until now my stars were stars that grew with me. When I coached Porto nobody was a star and everybody ended up rising up to the national level. At Chelsea the players that were there already were not world-class stars and we also ended up growing in that direction. "

 

Mourinho adds that the success he brought to Chelsea in winning back-to-back titles was what made it possible to bring the Ukraine and Germany captains to Stamford Bridge on £121,000-a-week contracts.

 

"People say I modified my transfer strategy because I bought Schevchenko and Ballack," he said. "I did not modify my transfer strategy. I bought stars for the environment of stars.

 

"I would never have bought them for a team without stars, for a team that had won nothing, for a team built around those two figures and 20 Joe Nobodies.

 

"In this moment they are stars. I have Lampard who was the second best player of the world last season and I have Terry who was the best player in England.

 

"I did not change my strategy. I think that my group, my players, are of a stature such that the others have to come to their reality."

 

Chelsea's hopes of reaching the Champions League semi-finals received a boost last night when it emerged that the Valencia winger Vicente will be out of action for almost five weeks after suffering a torn thigh muscle at Stamford Bridge. The injury, sustained in the second half of the 1-1 draw, keeps him out of Tuesday's second leg and both legs of the semi-final if his side sees off the English champions. Valencia's coach, Quique Sánchez Flores, said that Fernando Morientes, who missed the first leg against Chelsea because of a shoulder injury, stood an outside chance of playing in the game at the Mestalla.

 

Before that, Chelsea face Tottenham in the Premiership this lunchtime aiming to cut Manchester United' six-point lead before Sir Alex Ferguson's team travel to Portsmouth late in the afternoon.

[lfc003]

He's right about Lampard, Fat Frank has come on leaps and bounds since Mourinho took over and changed their formation and style of play.

[Bailo]

He's just blowing his trumpet for his next job. He's off in the summer.

[Earl Hafler]

He's right about Lampard, Fat Frank has come on leaps and bounds since Mourinho took over and changed their formation and style of play.

 

I think Terry is the one who's improved most. Lampard was banging the goals in before Mourinho turned up but with Mourinho's defence, Terry has improved markedly. Still not as good as Carra and still a 24 carat t**t but a better player all the same.

[lfc003]

Gotta give him credit for the job he's done to Joe Coles career aswell, turned him from a show poney to a match winner

[Ombudsam]

He's right about Lampard, Fat Frank has come on leaps and bounds since Mourinho took over and changed their formation and style of play.

 

Lampard had a great season in 442 under ranieri

[Ste M]

Gotta give him credit for the job he's done to Joe Coles career aswell, turned him from a show poney to a match winner

 

That's the one for me as well. He's finally started to achieve under Mourinho and show that there's grit and determination to go with the talent he has.

[Benitez]

he's also done very little for the careers of some players and killed the careers of one or two there as well!

 

Funny thing is, apart from Drogba, all the 'stars' at Chelsea, where already there when he arrived. And one of the best of them all, is Makelelelelelelele. Fec knows where he'd have been without him.

 

It's a bit sad that Maurenho is getting so little attention this season in comparison to the last 2, that he has to do this 'mememememememe' thing more than he ever has before. Awwww, bless him, he's missing all the attention.

[Guest]

He's a really nice guy or was so when he was at Barca - I can't imagine him changing so much - it's all an act.

[Coyler]

Translators' Union membership up for renewal, Figaro?

[Sheida V]

He's a really nice guy or was so when he was at Barca - I can't imagine him changing so much - it's all an act.

 

Me and my brother are also of the opinion that he does it on purpose to protect his players from critisizm and take the pressure off of them.

[Rimbeux]

Me and my brother are also of the opinion that he does it on purpose to protect his players from critisizm and take the pressure off of them.

 

Doesn't stop him joining in the kicking or hanging them out to dry when it suits or when the wind blows favourably. Never bought that, it's pure self promotion

[Stevie H]

he's also done very little for the careers of some players and killed the careers of one or two there as well!

 

Funny thing is, apart from Drogba, all the 'stars' at Chelsea, where already there when he arrived. And one of the best of them all, is Makelelelelelelele. Fec knows where he'd have been without him.

petr cech was signed by ranieri as well.

[Benitez]

Me and my brother are also of the opinion that he does it on purpose to protect his players from critisizm and take the pressure off of them.

 

 

 

lol. I love that myth.

[Nebraska Red]

he's an odious little man.

[Cobs]

the mind games have started in earnest....

 

YAY!

[JonShar]

Can you imagine what Rafa would be saying in these circumstances?

 

"I don't look at who other teams are playing, to me that is not important. What is important is our next game and the possibilities we have to win."

 

That's whar I reckon.

[psl]

Can you imagine what Rafa would be saying in these circumstances?

 

"I don't look at who other teams are playing, to me that is not important. What is important is our next game and the possibilities we have to win."

 

That's whar I reckon.

 

Rafa's not averse to the odd sarcastic remark at his rivals.

Edited April 9, 2007 by psl

[Benitez]

damn right! He's actually far more cutting than Maurenho can ever dream of being. That's the problem when you try to hard as Maurenho does, it loses effect and just becomes tedious.

[fyds]

Rafa's not averse to the odd sarcastic remark at his rivals.

Can't remember such remarks 'Jose likes to talk a lot' etc being pre-emptive though. He's normally respectful about rivals, whereas Mourinho hardly ever is.

[Ombudsam]

Can't remember such remarks 'Jose likes to talk a lot' etc being pre-emptive though. He's normally respectful about rivals, whereas Mourinho hardly ever is.

 

you'd never guess his feelings about bolton

[Benitez]

Can't remember such remarks 'Jose likes to talk a lot' etc being pre-emptive though. He's normally respectful about rivals, whereas Mourinho hardly ever is.

 

 

he's respectful about people who respect him. He's disrespectful to people who haven't shown him respect. It's that simple

 

Rafa is no angel, and who on earth would want him to be. I love his little digs at certain people and clubs.

Edited April 9, 2007 by Benitez

[Will]

you'd never guess his feelings about bolton

They deserve feck all respect, especially that fat c*** Allardyce

[growler]

players signed before Moanrinho

 

Cech, Gallas, Bridge, Makelele, Robben,Lampard, J Cole, Gudjohnson, Duff

[jimmylibel]

you'd never guess his feelings about bolton

 

I still say that goes back to Fat Sam saying half way through Rafa's first season that he'd have been fired by now if he'd had the same set of results as us. That and they robbed us in Rafa's first away Premiership match.