Jose Mourinho admits he put his reputation at stake returning to Chelsea as he also hit out at criticism of the Premier League winners’ approach.
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A 1-0 win over Crystal Palace yesterday gave the Blues an unassailable lead at the summit and a fourth Premier League title in 11 seasons. It was Mourinho’s third – drawing him level with Bill Shankly, Arsene Wenger and Stan Cullis.
Mourinho returned for a second spell as Chelsea boss in June 2013 and now in his second season has won the League Cup and the Premier League, taking his personal trophy tally to 22.
“When you go back to a place where you had success before you risk a little bit of your prestige, your history. I risked it,” he said. “This amazing team that was Chelsea’s team for a decade is not here any more. And a new team won again.”
Chelsea, by the Portuguese’s own admission, became “more strategic, less artistic” as the title neared, with detractors labelling the Blues “boring”.
“We do everything that the team needs,” Mourinho said. “That’s why we deserve so much to be champions. And I think everybody knows that. And the ones that have a big face to say we don’t deserve are the ones that in my country we say: the dogs bark and the caravan goes by.
“(It’s) easy to be a pundit, because as a pundit you win every game. Maybe in 10 years’ time it’s my job. And then I win every game. Now as a manager I lose sometimes and it’s a much more difficult job.”
Mourinho also made a veiled criticism of rival Pep Guardiola, whose Bayern Munich are the dominant team in Germany.
He said: “Maybe in the future I have to be smarter and choose another country, another club, where everybody’s champions. Even the kit man coaching is champion in some countries.”
