Jose Mourinho intends to prove himself as the 'Special One' all over again following his return to Chelsea after six years away.
The Portuguese coach completed the formalities of a second stint in charge of the west London club on Monday after his exit from Real Madrid. He has penned a four-year deal.
Mourinho had been headhunted by the Blues after guiding Porto to Champions League glory in 2004, and led Chelsea to successive Premier League titles in 2005 and 2006 - not to mention the FA Cup and League Cup twice - before leaving by mutual consent after his relationship with owner Roman Abramovich broke down.
Mourinho has since gone on to claim European Cup glory again with Inter Milan and take Real Madrid to the Spanish title in his second season at the helm. However, the 50-year-old maintains he cannot rest if his beloved Chelsea are to again become the dominant force in the Premier League, which they last won in 2010.
“I am not coming here to sleep on what I did in the past and be comfortable just because we have a great feeling and we have a great relation, I am not that kind of person and professional,” Mourinho said on Chelsea TV. “I am very demanding of myself. I need, of course, their (fans) support, but I want to start from ground zero.
“I need to work hard again and build a different team from the team I built in the past, and I want to give everything I can to the club, to the owner and to the fans, forgetting a little bit that I was champion here. I want to have that pressure on myself like it is the first time I am here and I have to work hard and to make sure they have a reason to be happy with me.”
Mourinho added: “I am the same, physically the same, but every day you have to think about yourself and about evolution. I have the same nature, but I am much more mature with a different approach to things, I am more ready to be in a club and stay for a long time.”
Mourinho feels he is coming back to Stamford Bridge as much a fan as he is the club’s eighth manager since he left.
“I think of myself not only as a Chelsea manager, because this is the first time in my career that I’ve arrived at a club that I already love,” he said. “To be at the same time a Chelsea fan and a Chelsea manager is a new feeling for me and it’s a fantastic feeling.”
Mourinho’s relationship with Abramovich has long since warmed and the Portuguese maintains returning to his old club was an “easy decision” to make.
“I asked the boss ‘do you want me back?’ and the boss asked me ‘do you want to come back?’ and in a couple of minutes, the decision was made,” he said.
Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay insists moving to bring back the self-proclaimed 'Special One' was the only option as Chelsea looked to take the club on following the reign of interim manager Rafael Benitez, who had replaced Champions League-winning coach Roberto Di Matteo in November 2012, and after some initial difficulties guided the Blues to a third-place finish as well as winning the Europa League.
Mourinho will be officially unveiled at a press conference at Stamford Bridge on June 10th, and is set to bring assistant coaches Rui Faria, Silvino Louro and Jose Morais to Stamford Bridge where they will work alongside current first-team staff Steve Holland, Christophe Lollichon and Chris Jones.
The new manager is expected to bring in some reinforcements ahead of the new season, with €18 million-rated Roma midfielder Daniele De Rossi a reported target.
Defender David Luiz has been the subject of speculation suggesting he could leave the club were Mourinho appointed.
However, Mourinho indicated the 26-year-old Brazil international was very much in his plans.
“I have a four-year contract so if I read the situation with the age of (Juan) Mata, (Eden) Hazard, Oscar, Luiz, it will be good for me to work with them and improve the team that we have,” he said. “I like very much that kind of profile, younger players with long-term space for improvement and development.”
