Jose Mourinho announced to Italian football on Tuesday at his unveiling as Internazionale boss that he is 'a great coach' but insisted he no longer wants to be special.
Less than a year after his departure from Chelsea, the Portuguese tactician -
who once described himself as 'the special one' - has taken the helm of the
three-time defending champions Inter with the aim of taking them to greater
heights in Europe.
Mourinho, 45, has replaced Roberto Mancini on a three-year contract.
'I am Mourinho - period,' he said at his introductory press conference at
Inter's training ground. 'I have arrived to a special club and I believe I am a great coach but I don't
want to be special.'
Mourinho, a controversial figure in England, because of his outspoken nature,
claims he will not have a different approach in Serie A.
He said: 'I don't change - I am the same person as I was before, with the same
mission and the same passion for my work. I have always believed that I would like to work in Italy and at a great
club.
Mourinho said his
arrival at Serie A champions Inter Milan would not spark a
bonanza of transfer market spending and that he would buy two or
three players.
He did not rule out bids for some of his former players at
Chelsea, however.
'When I read the world's press, it seems like I'm going to
work with a squad of 60 players. It's not true,' the coach told
a packed news conference at the club's training complex the day
after the announcement that he had signed a three-year contract.
'I like the players (that we have). They're a beautiful
team. I don't need a dramatic change in the team. I think we
need two or three players to improve and be more competitive.'
Chelsea midfielders Frank Lampard and Michael Essien,
defender Ricardo Carvalho and striker Didier Drogba have been
linked by media in Britain and Italy to a move to Mourinho's
Inter, along with Barcelona duo Deco and Samuel Eto'o, among
others.
'I think it's normal that, as a consequence of the
relationship I have with the Chelsea players, that almost all of
them want to work with me in the future and it's the same for
me,' he said when asked about the speculation.
He added he would not say who Inter's transfer targets were.
The 45-year-old said he wanted to change the side's
approach, while praising his predecessor Roberto Mancini, who
was fired last week 11 days after he led the side to their third
consecutive Serie A title.
'I like this group, I like the team's mentality very much. I
have a lot of confidence in this group,' he said in excellent
Italian.
'I want to start a different cycle, practically with the
same squad. I think differently to Roberto. I imagine it would
be the same situation if Roberto went to Chelsea, for example.
'He'd change things because he thinks differently from me.
It's far from a criticism, it's just the reality of football.'
Mancini has been linked with the Chelsea post left vacant by
the dismissal of Avram Grant.
'I want to thank (Inter president) Massimo Moratti and (sporting director)
Marco Branca that have given me this opportunity,' he added.
'For me this is a very important challenge but I believe that it could be very
enjoyable also for you (the media).'
Inter decided to part company with Mancini following a difficult end to the season.
The club made a quarter-final exit in the Champions League and, immediately after, Mancini announced he would not be with the team after the campaign - only to retract his statement 24 hours later.
Moratti insisted Mancini would stay at Inter, but had a change of heart once the Nerazzurri had taken a third straight Scudetto.
Inter Milan first approached Mourinho after they exited the Champions
League in March, the new coach revealed today.
He said: 'I think the truth is important and the truth is that the first time
Inter spoke to me was the day after they lost the second match against Liverpool
(on March 11).
'I started to learn Italian then, but it is easy - I only have problems with
the temporal verbs, but the words come easy.''
However, Mourinho admitted there was another reason for him becoming so
fluent.
'I am very intelligent,'' he said.
'I will always, always, always support Chelsea and wish them all the best with
their new coach, but if Chelsea meet Inter in the Champions League, then I won't
know any of them,'' he said.
'Chelsea is over for me - not in my heart, but in my thoughts. At this moment, I want to start a new life and I do not want to talk about
Chelsea.
'It will be hard, but I want to have the same passion with the fans of Inter
and the same relationship with the players and carry joy to Inter in the same
way I did for Chelsea.''
Mourinho said he 'cannot wait'' to get working with the team on July 15, but
said the first thing he will tell them is to forget about the past.
