Jose Mourinho admitted he still loves
Chelsea
JOSE MOURINHO has dropped the heaviest hint yet
he would consider a return to Chelsea as he admitted he still loves
the club.
With Carlo Ancelotti under massive pressure after a
wretched run of results – the Premier League title is all but
surrendered and they are out of the FA Cup – the clamour among fans
for the Special One to return has been growing.
Chelsea face FC Copenhagen tonight in the first leg of
a must-win Champions League last-16 tie that is crucial to
Ancelotti’s future.
But Mourinho has cranked up the pressure as he admitted
he did not know if he will stay at Real Madrid.
The Portuguese, asked if he would see out his four-year
contract at the Bernabeu, said: “I don’t know. I love Chelsea.
“I was the happiest man [when there]. I was thinking to
be there all my life and a few months later, I was out. So you
never know. In Inter Milan I found an incredible family. Then after
two years I felt it was over.
“When I sign a contract, I sign with the intention to
respect the contract and be happy.”
Real are five points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona,
and Mourinho’s relations with sporting director Jorge Valdano are
strained. He also watched from the stands as Chelsea were held to a
goalless draw at Fulham last week.
But Ancelotti has shrugged off the ghost of managers
past, claiming that Chelsea can still have their greatest season
this year.
He last night claimed he can fulfil Blues owner Roman
Abramovich’s dream of Champions League glory – just like he did
with AC Milan four years ago.
“Chelsea has not died. It’s still alive,” said
Ancelotti, who also led Milan to fourth place in Serie A that year
despite the club being docked eight points in the Italian
match-fixing scandal.
“I want to remind you in 2007 it was the same situation
and the Italian journalists know this.
“Maybe it could be the best season that we can ever
have a memory of. Maybe it could be the worst. I don’t know.
“But wait, wait. The season is not finished.”
Ancelotti confirmed that £50million striker Fernando
Torres will make his Euro debut for the Blues tonight. Torres was
cup-tied as the holders crashed out on penalties to Everton in the
FA Cup on Saturday.
“The players who did not start on Saturday will start –
so Michael Essien, Jose Bosingwa and Torres will play,” said
Ancelotti.