JOSE MOURINHO EXCLUSIVE
Inter boss delivers damning verdict on English football
AS English football licks its wounds and concede its champions are distinctly second best in Europe, Jose Mourinho delivers another low blow.
No sooner had Manchester United faced up to the fact Barcelona taught them a chilling lesson in Rome, former Chelsea boss Mourinho was questioning the quality of English teams below the top three.
Mourinho lifted a third title in a third country after leading Inter Milan to the Serie A crown. And he insists it was far more difficult to win a Scudetto than it was the Premier League.
The self-proclaimed Special One argues that outside the top three clubs, there is a lack of quality and tactical awareness. In his outspoken analysis, Mourinho hails the outstanding performance levels of Manchester United Liverpool and Chelsea.
But beyond the perennial title chasers, he believes the Premier League is lagging behind. The man who won the title twice with Chelsea said: "I would say that at the top the level of English football is higher than in Italy.
"Manchester United are better than Inter, Liverpool are better than AC Milan and Chelsea are better than Juventus, to give three examples.
"But from there down Italian football is much stronger. In England I won a lot of easy games, by margins that leave no room for doubt. Here (in Italy) this has never happened. On the contrary, the smaller teams were always capable of causing us problems."
"In 2004-05 with Chelsea it was a different success to all the others. It was a more emotional title for me because I saw the emotions surrounding me. Chelsea hadn't been champions for 50 years and people felt the success in a way which I'll never forget.
"By the following season the title was a one-horse race. The impetus achieved the previous season made us unstoppable, a bit like when I won my second title with Porto.
"The best example was when we played at Old Trafford 11 points ahead of Manchester United. We lost and came away with an eight-point advantage. We didn't become champions when I said, it's true, but I wasn't far out.
"At no time was any direct opponent less than seven points behind us. I would say it was a very easy title. We won it without suffering."
Mourinho has found the task of winning in Italy far more of a tactical ordeal. The former Blues boss has added the Serie A title with Inter Milan to ones he won in his native Portugal with Porto and England with Chelsea.
He added: "I remember a game against Genoa at home. We started with 4-3-3 and they closed up with four defenders.
"I changed to 4-4-2 and they responded with three centre-halves. I changed it again and they reacted automatically as if they had been expecting every change we made.
"We drew 0-0. They blocked the game in such a way that we could still be playing and not score a goal. The teams from the lower half of the table who come to the San Siro all have very strong tactical and physical trumps.
Stupid
"Serie A has very unique characteristics which make it extremely difficult."
Typically Mourinho has continued to ruffle the feathers of his closest rivals. He claimed that bitter rivals AC Milan would get 'zero titles', which led to big sales of t-shirts carrying that message.
And he added:"I took a big risk because I would have looked stupid if Milan, Juventus or Roma had won the league.
"As for the success of the t-shirt with that message, if they made a lot of money out of it I hope they remember me."
This article has 31 comments
3 years or so where are Italy teams in the later stages of the champions league?No where nearing there.They've a long way to go and he(Mourinoh) admitted that after there exit at the hands of Man United this year.He has just has had it his way,he the lucky one Not the special one.
By John Musyoki. Posted June 5 2009 at 3:33 PM.
I would agree. English teams stil have - and have always had - too much of a "fump de ball up de field and muscle the strikers" mentality which will not work at International level.
This has been proven over the last 40 years : compare the records of West Germany, Italy, Brazil, Argentina and even France with that of England : there is no comparison.
The top four are successful because their tactics, strategy and players have been upgraded - the rest are simply grafting foreign players into the same old system, which will never consistently beat the top sides.
Players like Glenn Johnson look clumsy and thick when compared to other international defenders - like they hardly know how to kick a ball, let alone finesse it - and this has hardly changed over 40 years.
Capello is finally bringing some much needed change to "the English style" of play which has lagged 5-10 years behind everybody else.
However, unless the club system changes and places more emphasis on skill rather than brute force, England are never going to win anything, either at senior level or in the juniors. You can't win World cups unless you are at least equal, if not superior, to other teams.
By Dey Gotta Pain In De Brain. Posted June 4 2009 at 11:04 PM.
He ' right. EPL is too easy to win while it's always harder in other league like PLiga or SA. The top 3 is so strong.
By Simla. Posted June 4 2009 at 6:39 PM.
All the top managers have one thing in common. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. I'm sure Tony Mowbray,Gareth Southgate can do the same if they had the same amount of $$$$$$$$ as the so called top managers. Till the time that all clubs have all the same in terms of expenditure, wages....then we will know who the top manager is. Even a muck could manage a top team if he had the support of a billionaire owner.
By Reid. Posted June 3 2009 at 2:15 PM.
ciao my english friends
im am inter milan supporter since 1955 and i can tell you i have been to milan and see them play and this team is something special, ok sometime we do not have the best team, but the passion is allways there, joses is ok the guy try to give the media want they want and they love him for that!
then lets talk about the pl in my opinion is not the bestin the world , the italian team play a better football and also will be back to win the champion league very soon, also i ask you who is the manager of england! how many world cup england han won! this are facts, not we got this we got that, also in italy the only manager non italian in serie a is jose!!
enjoy football, ciao.
ps
internazionale was formed in 1908 from a brakeaway of ac milan club, and the idea to have player of all nation to play for inter, and that is a filosofy to this date.
By nino. Posted May 31 2009 at 11:23 PM.
mourhinho forgot to mention that when he was at chelsea bankrolled by a billionaire . he is struggling because he has now average player as massimo moratti is not abrahmovic. mourhinho always slags what he can't get . he used to have a pop at wenger because he was jealous that the professor is the boss while he had to face the interference of the boss on top. it is refreshing to see people like pep guardiola winn as they are really special not like that self proclamed portuguese attention seeker
By olivier. Posted May 31 2009 at 10:47 PM.
arsenal would get spanked by inter,i still cant get over how shocking arsenal were against united in the semis.Spineless team
By alasatra. Posted May 31 2009 at 7:25 PM.
Yes Barca were the best ,possibly the best club side ever on Wednesday,but hey the Prem had three of the semi finalists and Barca could easily have gone out to a negative Chelea side.
As for Inter,how did they fare in Europe.Hmmmmm.
Nul points.
By Steve J.. Posted May 31 2009 at 6:32 PM.
As someone else pointed out, the 4th rated club in the EPL has knocked out the top teams in Italy and Spain (Arsenal in recent years has beaten Juve, AC Milan, Roma, Madrid and done Inter 5-0).
We played most of the CL final with 10 men when we were beaten by Barca (who wouldn't have got past Chelsea had a decent referee been appointed)
When was the last time the 4th rated team in Italy or Spain consistently beat the top teams in the EPL?
By Dan Bhatoa. Posted May 31 2009 at 5:08 PM.
Inter wouldnt be a match for united lvpool chavz,but they would easilly spank everyone else in d prem,Arsenal included
By alasatra. Posted May 31 2009 at 4:30 PM.
Well done Jose for being big enough to come out and say what people all over the world, outside of England of course, have been saying for years. The English keep talking about their EPL as the best in the world. Not even close. Take away the top three or four teams in England and you have a very very basic league. If the foreign players all left it would be even worse. Typically, the power of the English media have people believing that the EPL is the best. The again, they also said Man Utd were going to be easy Champions League winners too.
By Joe. Posted May 31 2009 at 4:24 PM.
As usual mourinho thinks that he knows every thing ,at least in england know one close the ref in the dressing rooms and send gifts like cars to the refs so they can give you a penalty or phone the national coach not to call your players because you have an important match goming up.
By Edward Camilleri. Posted May 31 2009 at 4:05 PM.
"The San Siro,
Is never Full.
The San Siro is never full,
Unless they play Man United,
The San Siro is never full"
By RedForever. Posted May 31 2009 at 2:57 PM.
At least we fill our stadiums. Everty time I watch Serie A there is no one at the game.
By Carlo. Posted May 31 2009 at 2:37 PM.
Lets see what he comes up with next time he comes against Utd, Liverpool or arsenal. The man speaks too much. I can bet with anyone that he will get the sack around june 2010. Honest.
He has been playing games of "come and get me Real Madrid or Barcelona but Ofcourse this clubs play football as its to be played. Not the way mourinho wants to play. He sold Robben to RM. Just think Fergie doing that.
He has personal vendetta against wenger. Cox the professor plays football with beauty.
Just shut up and wait for your time.
By Tenge. Posted May 31 2009 at 1:50 PM.
Mourinho is right. Read the article properly. He reckons the top 3 English clubs are better than the top 3 Italian clubs. But the rest in the prem aren't that great in European competitions though are they? Look how poorly they've done in the lesser UEFA cup - where have Man City, Villa, Spurs, Blackburn, and Everton come recently?
By Gandalf. Posted May 31 2009 at 1:10 PM.
I seem to remember AC Millan had a very hard time with Portsmouth in the Ueffa cup and went out to a mid table German side Werder Breman. This guy just loves to talk. I wouldnt mind but he won the league with Porto as expected won it with Chelsea as expected and now won it with Inter as expected! the only great thing he has done was win the CL with Porto.
By tom. Posted May 31 2009 at 11:51 AM.
He didnt mention arsenal because they are not a great side at this present time,get over it
By alasatra. Posted May 31 2009 at 9:11 AM.
Mouriniho has said it all... Its tougher for him to beat the lower teams in italy because they're not far off in quality than them - because they are all poor. Inter are just marginally better quality than the rest.
The teams outside our top four would beat the teams outside their top two. Our top four have a harder time beating opposition in our league than beating the Italian teams.
Mourinho has always had it easy in his career. I would not call him the 'Special One' but in fact the 'LUCKY ONE'.
Let him try building an average team without masses on money into a title fighting team. I very much doubt he could do it.
By AW. Posted May 31 2009 at 9:14 AM.
Rubbish where did the champons of Italy finish in Europe this season.
By Stantheman. Posted May 31 2009 at 9:21 AM.
I think he has a valid point! The top three in England are different. This will of course upset the ar5ena1 prawn sandwich fans, but he is right! COYS
By GlennAmy. Posted May 31 2009 at 7:38 AM.
mr jose idiot let me ask u this who they were last cl sim's arsenal,man u,cls and barca innit. were wore they rest i guess u are jealous about english league.
By nordin. Posted May 31 2009 at 8:01 AM.
He never mentions arsenal because Aw is cleverer than him and never gave him the respect he thought he deserved.arsenal knocked out juve,ac milan,and roma and hit inter 5-0!imbecile
By gege. Posted May 31 2009 at 8:12 AM.
After managing the wealthiest club in England without even reaching the final of the CL, he is now with the wealthiest club in Italy. Club owner Moratti hired the self acclaimed ‘special one’ (What about Guardiola then) and gave him a blank cheque solely to bring home the CL. He prayed to get United in the knock-out phase and his praying got answered but was knocked out, without even having a shot in goal in the first leg at the San Siro. Inter has no competition in Italy, Before Mou arrived, they had won three scudettos in a row. Anybody can win them the league, even their Tea Lady can win them another scudetto. Everybody is questioning the English clubs now , just because United had an Off-Day. But just remember that this was the first defeat for United in 2 years in the CL, and during these years, they played the likes of Arsenal, Roma (twice) Inter, and Barcellona. I follow football discussions on Italian TV, and they admit that their clubs are very well behind english teams, an they hope to emulate them.
By Joseph Duca. Posted May 31 2009 at 8:21 AM.
He is right but thats because italian football has always been tactical. The fans in the EpL would not enjoy watching two teams play patient probing football the game is less subtle here. In Spain smaller teams play more fluent football and try to win games against the big sides . Here Hull played that way till the fear of relegation made them negative. The real point should be made that Inter can't be called an Italian team because like Arsenal they often field no home grown players. Barcalona on the other hand often have six and thats why their National team is the best in Europe if not the world.
By Dzonu . Posted May 31 2009 at 6:57 AM.
It's funny to see all the dropkicks responding who are commenting that man united and liverpool easily disposd of inter milan - you obviously didnt read the article...
NEWSFLASH! - If you actually read what Mourinho said, he is not arguing that the top three of Italy are better than their English counterparts, rather that below the top three, the Italian league has more quality and better teams - a statement you will realise if you actually watched the bottom half italian teams play, as oppossed to the likes of West Brom and Middlesborough
By Simon. Posted May 31 2009 at 4:55 AM.
SHUT UP MOURINHO!
What a mug!
Your 15 minutes are up, mate. Enjoy your Italian exile that already had won the title 2 years in a row before you arrived and try to take the glory for it. What an Arthur J Ranker!
By jack the lad. Posted May 31 2009 at 2:23 AM.
Not good enough eh, but Manchester United and Liverpool where still good enough to knock Inter Milan out of the UEFA European Champions League 2 seasons in a row Jose Lol.
By Paul. Posted May 31 2009 at 1:56 AM.
Mourinho talks sense normally, but his logic is a bit suspect here.
Just because the English top 3 teams are stronger than the top 3 teams in Italy, then that doesn't necessary mean the rest of English league below the top 3 are weaker then their Italian counterparts. The Italian league is harder because the top 3 Italian teams aren't strong enough to roll over the rest of the teams in their league!
Oh and he only talking about the top 3 teams in England, cause I think he's going to make a play for Arsenal players!
By imi. Posted May 31 2009 at 1:34 AM.
didn't milan winit like 2 years ago or something, they would probably have to get past he semis to do that.
By Bob. Posted May 31 2009 at 1:06 AM.
go have a look at the leagues you manage in numptie, none have any quality full stop, when was the last time an italian side made the semis of the cl ? look what happened to joses champions when they faced man utd...easily overcome...so worry bout your own sad little league, the prem is the best in the world, theonly one that says otherwise is the one who is the self proclaimed special one...more like special needs, the mans an idiot.
By Will. Posted May 30 2009 at 11:53 PM.