UCL: Mourinho expects Chelsea fans to cheer, not boo him on return

Jose Mourinho insists helium volition person a lukewarm invited from the Chelsea fans who erstwhile turned connected him erstwhile the erstwhile Blues brag returns to Stamford Bridge with Benfica connected Tuesday.

Mourinho is backmost successful westbound London for a Champions League radical signifier clash that has turned into a travel down representation lane.

The 62-year-old, who famously announced his accomplishment successful the Premier League by labelling himself a ‘special one’, led Chelsea to 3 English titles, 3 League Cups and 1 FA Cup crossed 2 spells that etched him successful the club’s past forever.

Fuelled by the fiscal backing of past proprietor Roman Abramovich, Mourinho turned Chelsea from underachievers to serial winners.

But those triumphs did not halt Chelsea fans chanting “you’re not peculiar anymore” astatine Mourinho and jeering him erstwhile helium returned arsenic manager of Manchester United and past Tottenham.

Now successful complaint of Benfica aft his caller sacking by Turkish nine Fenerbahce, Mourinho started his pre-match property league astatine Stamford Bridge by claiming helium was “not a bluish anymore”.

But alert that helium risked much maltreatment from the stands connected Tuesday, Mourinho rapidly backtracked, saying helium inactive loved the nine and expected to beryllium treated with affection by the fans that utilized to idolise him.

“Of people I volition ever beryllium a Blue. I americium portion of their past and they are portion of mine. I helped them go a bigger Chelsea and they helped maine go a bigger Jose,” helium told reporters.

“It was a blessed marriage. It was a fantastic determination I made. The crushed I came the 2nd clip is of people I was truthful blessed the archetypal time.

“When I accidental I americium not a bluish I americium talking astir the occupation I person to bash tomorrow.

“I don’t deliberation Chelsea fans volition boo. At slightest connected the thoroughfare Chelsea fans are the ones that disturb maine for autographs and pictures.”

Photos of Mourinho celebrating immoderate of his top Chelsea moments were hung connected the walls of the Ted Drake Suite to marque the Portuguese manager consciousness astatine home.

It was a motion that did not spell unnoticed by Mourinho, who said: “There are not galore clubs that bash this. In galore clubs it looks similar determination is simply a fearfulness of what happened successful the past.

“Sometimes it looks similar they privation to delete radical who made history. It shows Chelsea is truly a large club.”

– ‘I americium the biggest one’ –

Mourinho, who inactive has a household location adjacent to Stamford Bridge, opted against piling unit connected Chelsea’s existent brag Enzo Maresca, who has travel nether occurrence aft successive defeats against Manchester United and Brighton this season.

Maresca led Chelsea to Champions League qualification and won the UEFA Conference League past season.

“There was a bittersweet play wherever adjacent maine from the outside, I was putting immoderate question marks. It looked similar Chelsea mislaid their individuality but what happened successful the past play has enactment things backmost connected track,” helium said.

But Mourinho couldn’t defy pointing retired his ain achievements with Chelsea whenever the accidental arose.

Asked if helium inactive ranked himself arsenic the champion manager successful Chelsea’s history, Mourinho said: “I americium the biggest 1 until idiosyncratic wins 4 (titles).

“Chelsea won thing earlier my time. Then they stopped winning, and past my squad kept winning.”

And successful typically waspish fashion, helium played down the 2 trophies won by Maresca.

“The Conference League is an casual contention for a large nine to win. I did it with Roma. Champions League is overmuch much hard to triumph than the Club World Cup but Chelsea has the imaginable of course,” helium said.

It is simply a decennary since helium lifted a league rubric but adjacent if Mourinho’s managerial prima is connected the wane, helium remains a box-office attraction.

After answering the past question of the property conference, Mourinho made a constituent of embracing respective acquainted faces among the British media.

He eve...