Jose Mourinho has taunted Liverpool by claiming it is
Chelsea who continue to make history in the English
game.
Mourinho: Happy to win six
trophies
Liverpool have sent Chelsea crashing out of the Champions League at
the semi-final stage twice in the last three years and their fans
taunt the Londoners by insisting the Blues have no real
history.
But while Mourinho accepts they cannot compete with Liverpool's
European heritage, he continues to point out that the Merseysiders
have not won the English title for 17 years and added that Chelsea
made their mark in footballing folklore by winning the first FA Cup
at the new Wembley.
Mourinho told the club's official magazine: "Liverpool fans can
continue to chant 'no history' at us but we continue to make
it.
"They have their history, we have our history. They are a club with
a history in Europe that Chelsea doesn't have, and their history is
magnificent, but I think for 17 years they don't win one
championship and we won two in the last three years.
"Of the 12 pieces of silverware in English football in the last
three years, Chelsea won six, Liverpool two, Manchester United two
and Arsenal two, so we won the same number of pieces of silverware
that the other three clubs won all together. So I think we are
going in the right direction.
"The FA Cup final was a special final, an historic one, more than a
normal FA Cup final. It was also the end of a period when in three
years, we won every competition in English football, so it was
special.
"In the future a lot of people will do it but I was the first
manager to lift the FA Cup at the new Wembley; John Terry was the
first captain to lift it and so on.
"At that moment we made history and the way people celebrated was
magnificent. A few days later I was in London and I could feel also
for the fans the feeling was special. After two Premierships and
two Carling Cups before, I think at the moment we won't change this
FA Cup for anything."
Injuries to key players like goalkeeper Petr Cech (fractured
skull), captain Terry (back and head), Joe Cole (foot) and Arjen
Robben (various), robbed Mourinho of the chance to field his best
side and use all the options available to him for much of the
season.
Chelsea still managed to keep in the hunt for an unprecedented four
trophies right up until the end of the season but Mourinho is
hoping next season will not be dogged by similar injury problems so
that he will be able to use his squad to the full.
He added: "I use the word a lot of times but last season was
'survival'. We want to succeed in competitions, we cannot lose
matches.
"The situation of playing with the best team, using the tactical
systems not just to get the result but to play at the high level,
everything was impossible.
"What I want is solutions in my hands. It is like playing chess and
you don't have bishops and horses.
"I want to have everything in my hands to promote competitiveness
between our players, promote doubts in the opponents, to give
culture to my teams in terms of tactics, to have options in
relation to my needs."
