Chelsea host Manchester United and former manager Jose Mourinho on Sunday, and the Reds manager opened up about his relation with his owner at the London based club.
Jose Mourinho is preparing for a match at Stamford Bridge, but this time only as an opposition manager, in one of the most keenly awaited games of the season which promises to be a thrilling encounter offering plenty of sub-plots within the clash.
Speaking to the press conference ahead of Manchester United’s visit to Chelsea, Jose has revealed he was never friends with Chelsea’s owner Roman Abramovich, before adding they always shared a professional relation during their time at Chelsea.
“We always had the relationship of owner-manager; a very respectful relationship. We were never friends. We were never close to each other. So, no, he is just a person that I keep very respected. I will shake his hand and greet him on Sunday.”
Jose Mourinho’s time at Chelsea, barring the blip in his last season, can only be viewed as being a very successful one, helping the club win three league tittles as well as a host of other domestic cup competitions.
However, it has always been widely known Jose Mourinho and Roman Abramovich weren’t always on the best of terms, with disagreements with the owner said to be the reason why the Portuguese manager decided to part ways with the club in his first tenure at Chelsea.
When Jose was re-appointed as the manager of Chelsea for his second stint in 2013, it seemed like Jose and Roman might have mended their ways and found a common ground, especially after Chelsea won the league comprehensively in 2014-15.
But reports soon began to emerge in the summer of 2015 about Jose’s unhappiness with the club with regards to the transfers and unwillingness of Roman to back the manager to sign a marquee player.
Mourinho was sacked by Chelsea after a string of poor results which saw the club languish at the 16th place on the table. Jose can only blame himself for the sack in his second stint, considering their form just months after lifting the Premier League title. Though one might argue Chelsea’s poor transfer window along with the form of key players also played a part in their drastic downfall in 2015-16.
It’s to be seen what kind of ovation ‘The Special One’ receives from the fans on Sunday considering his history with the hosts. But Jose has insisted he won’t be affected, as he felt he always did his job.
