What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear José Mourinho?
His famous numbers. In terms of the number of trophies, he belongs to the absolute top coaches. I’m glad I could train under him for a while.
You stayed at his Chelsea for half a year before going on loan to Birmingham in the summer of 2005.
In retrospect, I might be a bit sorry that I didn’t stay at Chelsea a little longer. I could have drawn even more from Mourinho, instead I only followed him from a distance. I am no longer directly in the kitchen, I perceive his work as a normal mortal.
What is Mourinho’s magic?
He is a great motivator and a winning type. He travels between different clubs and countries, but he can adapt very well and is more or less successful everywhere. When he starts somewhere, everyone knows who he is and that he came to win. There is one more thing related to this.
Which?
Mourinho can revive players. For example, the Belgian striker Lukaku faded a bit during his last season at Inter, but now he is scoring goals again in AS Roma. Slavia found out two weeks ago.
You and Mourinho first met as rivals: in March 2002, you and Sparta beat Porto 2-0 in the spring Champions League. A sweet memory?
Very sweet, plus I scored a goal. We had an excellent team at Sparta back then, we wanted to prove something. We played great in the Champions League and almost all of us then went abroad. Actually, we didn’t even need agents. (smiles)
Would you have thought then that in three years you will meet Mourinho at Chelsea?
Definitely not. But it’s interesting that sometimes one good match is enough. Or not really: the coach also remembered me from Chelsea’s match with CSKA Moscow, where I left Sparta. Another Champions League and another important match for me.
You had stellar competition at Chelsea: John Terry, Ricardo Carvalho, Claude Makélélé… Did the coach talk to you about your position?
He spoke, but he himself knew that it was difficult for me. I was twenty-seven, but I still struggled with it. A big club, a tight roster, a lot of games… Moreover, I came at a stupid time, after a month’s break in Russia, to the active Premier League. The coach knew me and didn’t have to test me, but it was still hard to fit into the basics.
You also have Mourinho’s coaching diary left over from your stay at Chelsea, you see?
Not his directly. I took notes myself, I have written several pages with details from the training sessions. If I stole the coach’s diary, maybe it would look like in the District Championship, when an excited Jirka Luňák was leafing through coach Hnátek’s notebook. (smiles)
How were the training sessions with Jose Mourinho?
Unbelievable from today’s perspective. The matches went quickly, so there was no time for any major tuning. Tactics were briefly discussed and it was down to business. On the other hand, world-class fighters from Cech to Drogba did not need any extra preparation. Today, however, you have to lead the players by the hand, the preparation is much longer and more detailed. You conduct interviews, rehearse moves, analyze opponents…
What about Mourinho’s theatrics and antics? He paid a lot of fines for his indiscipline and he is not allowed on the bench against Slavia because he cursed the referee after losing the final of the Europa League.
I don’t want to defend him, but that time he narrowly missed the trophy, Sevilla beat Roma on penalties. Theater belongs to Mourinho, he likes to be the center of attention. Something is over the edge and something gets blown up, the fans will take it their way. Then nice gestures can also easily fit in: I liked when Mourinho praised coach Trpišovský for his work for Slavia.
Good that you brought it up. Will AS Roma rise to fame for the second time?
I have praised Mourinho a lot now, but it is not the same in the Italian league at the moment. He certainly wants more than the current seventh place. On the other hand, in the Europa League, Rome is loaded and its promotion position will not be threatened immediately, so the line-up can be mixed up a bit. And Slavia? After the defeat with Pilsen, he has a lot to fix, he needs to improve his impression in front of his fans. It could be an interesting match.
2023-11-08 15:25:24
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