Jose Mourinho is set to meet his former team, Real Madrid, in the UEFA Super Cup final tonight. The manager is at ease with his past which includes managing Real.
When Jose Mourinho arrived at Madrid in 2010 he was arguably the most famous manager in the world taking on arguably the most famous team in the world. During his time at Real the team managed to win LaLiga in the 2011-12 season. It wasn’t quite the partnership that either of the two parties expected. He departed the club in 2013 amidst the suggestion that the manager’s relationship with several key players had suffered a breakdown.
Mourinho says he harbors no ill feelings towards Real Madrid knowing he believes to have brought his very best to the team. In fact, Mourinho says that he was never as committed to a club, as he was when managing the Madrid giants. “I left feeling quite at ease and feeling that I had nothing left to give. I can truly say that I gave more to Real Madrid any club than I ever have before. I left with peace of mind, I left without wanting to take out the dirty linen,” Mourinho tells reporters.
Real’s current manager Zinedine Zidane was a surprisingly better fit, at least in terms of winning his team a higher amount of silverware. Although managing Real is his first serious job, the Frenchman has lead the club to consecutive Champions League wins, as well as success in La Liga. Mourinho was asked about what he thinks can account for the difference in performances between his time at the club and the current performances.
“The basic difference is when I arrived they weren’t even top of their [Champions League] group. It was a team that, in spite of all their history, they couldn’t get beyond the quarter-finals – their most important players had never played in the Champions League semi-finals,” the Portuguese manager believes.
Mourinho is also certain that he left the club in a very good position and that Real’s recent results could in part be attributed to his time managing the team.“When I left it was a team that had played three consecutive Champions League semis, they had been Spanish champions, they had won games at home as well as abroad. There were small and big differences. I left and it was difficult for the others to say many good things about me.”
Manchester United will play Real Madrid tonight in the UEFA Super Cup final. Mourinho to add to the tally of trophies he won at Manchester last season. The game features the winners of the two European competitions, the Champions League and the Europa League. Both of these competitions are hosted by FootballCoin in the new season.
