N-o să vi-l traduc aici și nici n-o să vă spun că-l puteți citi în două-trei minute (e lung), dar am să las link-ul către scriitura integrală cu o recomandare foarte caldă, rezumată în rândurile de mai jos.

Calitatea interviului e dată în mare măsură și de Gary Neville, omul care înțelege mai bine ca orice jurnalist fenomenul (și scrie mult peste medie), dat fiind faptul că și-a jucat întreaga carieră la nivel înalt, fiind în teren chiar și la acel Manchester Utd – Porto la care Mourinho a devenit celebru, bucurându-se la golul echipei lui ca un copil.

Despre cum și-a motivat jucătorii înaintea meciului care i-a furat lui Liverpool (0-2 vs Chelsea) titlul de campioană anul trecut :

“I felt during part of last season that the country wanted Liverpool to be champion. The media, the press: a lot was to put Liverpool there. Nobody was saying they were in a privileged situation because they didn’t play Champions League. Nobody was speaking about a lot, a lot of decisions that helped them win important and crucial points. And I felt that day was a day that was ready for their celebration. I used the word with my players. I said – we are going to be the clowns, they want us to be the clowns in the circus. The circus is here. Liverpool are to be champions.”

Despre cum Chelsea este primul club la care vrea să rămână ca manager până se retrage:

”I sign tomorrow. That’s what I want,” he says. “I want to stay in Chelsea and English football because I think I won the right. My wife says many times I won the right to stop when I want. She says I won enough, I did enough, I created a good situation for the family. She says I won the right to do what I want. Unfortunately Chelsea’s not my club. I depend on the club and I depend on the results.”

Despre relația deosebită cu Eden Hazard, omul cheie al echipei:

“I had a conversation with his father. His father told me something that I loved. I don’t think it’s a problem to tell you. He said – ‘I have a wonderful son. He is a wonderful father. He is a wonderful husband. I want him to change, because I want him to be a wonderful player. But I don’t want him to change a lot. I don’t want him to become – and he used the name of two or three players. I just want him to be the same husband, the same father, the same son, with a little but more tenacity, mental aggression, ambition, personal ego. A little bit more. And you are the guy to give it to him.’

Închei cu paragraful care ar trebui să dea tuturor o idee despre cât de meticulos poate ajunge un antrenor, periculos de aproape de perfecțiune.

“I am not fundamentalist in football. What I mean is that in football you have your ideas, you die with your ideas. No.” He is very animated now. “People ask me: what is your model of play? I say: model of what?” He winces when he says it. “Model of play against who? When? With which players? Model of play what [scrunching his face]?
“I cannot answer to that. Am I too stupid [he lowers his hands to the floor] or am I too smart [raising them to the ceiling]?

Dacă sunteți pasionați de fotbal, cele 15 minute merită pe deplin.

foto: Daily Mail