Sydney – Even with his third Premier League title in the bag and the season over barring Tuesday’s exhibition match against Sydney FC, Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho’s appetite for success remains undimmed.
The Portuguese was on vintage form when the English champions arrived in Australia on Sunday for a match expected to attract a crowd in excess of 83 000 to Sydney’s Olympic stadium.
His players were mobbed at the airport on arrival from Bangkok by a crowd Belgian international Eden Hazard described as “very crazy”.
And it is that passion, Mourinho said, which made it crucial the trip Down Under was not treated as a jaunt.
“We feel always responsibilities,” he told reporters.
“We were in Bangkok, we went to the stadium and there were 45 000 fans with a blue shirt. You cannot lose, you cannot go for fun, you have to go for a result.
“We are still celebrating, yes, we are already thinking about next season, yes, but Tuesday is our last game of the season as a club so we want to try give a good show.”
That did not mean Chelsea would abandon the miserly defence on which the London club’s fourth title in a decade was built.
“It’s important to park the bus all the time in football because if you don’t concede goals you have more chances to win,” he said.
“But I can give a tip to (Sydney FC) coach (Graham) Arnold, my three attacking players will be Loic Remy, Diego Costa and Hazard. So even if we do park the bus, be careful.”
Already looking forward to next season, Mourinho said he would be without Brazilians Willian and Filipe Luis as well as Colombian midfielder Juan Cuadrado for the start of the campaign as they would need rest after the Copa America.
Winning the Champions League title, a feat Mourinho has yet to achieve with Chelsea, will clearly be high on the agenda.
“It’s always difficult to win the Champions League, which is why all the big guys don’t do it seven, eight times in their careers,” he said.
“This season we were better than last season and next season we hope to be better than this season. Hopefully we get our chance.
“Enjoying football is winning,” he added. “That’s what I want to do for the rest of my career. This season was a great example, it was a third Premier League for me… but a first for many of our young players.
“To see their pride and to see the fans going back to victories is the reason I am in the game.” – Reuters