Mourinho says he’s a better coach and a better person than when he was born

Two decades after leading Porto to the UEFA Cup and winning its first continental trophy, Mourinho considers himself a better coach and a better man.

Mourinho, who became famous for calling himself special when he became manager of Chelsea in 2004, was asked Thursday what has changed for him since he appeared on the European stage.

Our job is not like a player’s job. You can get better and better with experience, Mourinho said at Roma’s media day before the Europa League final. As a player you need your body, and the body certainly doesn’t react the same when you’re 30 or 40 years old.

As a coach, I think your brain gets sharper, and the accumulation of knowledge goes better over the years. I think you stop when you lose motivation, but that’s not true – my motivation grows every day. I don’t have any problem with that. So I think I’m better now.

Next Wednesday in Budapest, Hungary, Roma will face Europa League specialist Sevilla. Mourinho hopes to bring a second European trophy to the Italian capital after winning the Europa League in his first season with the Giallorossi.

In total, Mourinho has 5 victories in European finals. He also won the Champions League with Porto and Inter Milan and the Europa League with Manchester United.

I wish we could play in the final every week, Mourinho said.

With speculation over whether Mourinho will return to spend the third and final season of his contract at Roma, the Portuguese coach was also asked about what he emotionally takes away from each of his clubs when he leaves.

In response, Mourinho recalled his previous job, when apathy in the locker room and growing frustration with his defensive tactics cost him his post at Tottenham after 17 months at the London club – six days before the English League Cup final.

I hope the Tottenham fans don’t take this the wrong way, but the only club in my career where I don’t have deep feelings is Tottenham, said Mourinho. Maybe because the stadium was empty (because of the pandemic), maybe because (club chairman Daniel) Levy wouldn’t let me win the final and win the trophy. But he’s the only one. Porto, Chelsea, Inter, Real Madrid, Manchester United are all clubs I feel a connection with.

I walk the streets in Italy every so often and find Inter fans.It’s not just Chelsea fans in London, it’s Man United fans. Real Madrid all over the world, Mourinho said. It’s about the feelings that give you everything. … People think: You can’t love every club. Yes, I love every club. I love every club because I felt the opposite – they loved me too. So with Roma, one day it will be difficult, but we will be bonded forever, as I am bonded with all my previous clubs – except Mr. Levy’s club.

Roma striker Tammy Abraham, Mourinho’s favorite, is also not talking about whether he will stay. After scoring 27 goals in all competitions in his first season at Roma, he has scored only nine points in the current campaign.

But Abraham has not lost his love for Mourinho.

I always call him my uncle from Rome, Abraham said. He knows how to manage me. He knows how to get under my skin. Even if I’m playing the best soccer of my career, he’ll tell me I have to do more. As players, you need someone who knows how to drive you through your best and worst moments.

Ranked sixth in Serie A with two matches to spare, including a visit to Conference League finalist Fiorentina on Sunday, Roma may have to win the Europa League to guarantee themselves a place in the Champions League next season.

With talented but often injured striker Paulo Dibala likely to play only 15-20 minutes in the final, Abraham will be counted on for goals.

But whether he scores or not, Abraham’s experience at Roma will surely prove positive.

After my career is over, looking back and saying I lived part of my life in Rome, you’ll cherish it even more, Abraham said. I came here to learn a different part of my game, to spread my wings, to learn a different way of life. And I have no regrets. I love being here, and it’s given me experience – if, say, I go back to England in the future, I can bring that experience and take it with me.

In Asia, it’s not unusual for clubs not to be allowed to sign imported players for a certain position to nurture local talent. The Chinese Super League does not allow foreign goalkeepers. In the South Korean K-League, no foreigners (North Koreans don’t count) have been allowed between the sticks since 1999.

It’s the only way, said Stimak, head coach of India’s senior men’s team. We need to think aboutopening up the positions of central striker and attacking midfielder for Indian players, he said, speaking from Bhubaneswar, where India is holding a training camp.

Stimak spoke to Hindustan Times ahead of next month’s tournaments — the Hero Intercontinental Cup in Bhubaneswar (June 9-18) and the SAFF Championship in Bengaluru (June 21-July 4).

I need to stop answering the question of what happens after Sunil Chhetri. (We) need to ask that question to the stakeholders in our organization, he said. Stimac said India would have to replace the 38-year-old Chhetri as a team. But it would be much better to be able to pick two of the 10-12 center forwards who play regularly.

No Indian has topped the scoring list in nine Indian Super League (ISL) seasons. In 16 iterations of the I-League, it has happened twice: in 2013-14, when Chhetri (14 goals) shared that spot with foreigners Cornell Glenn and Darryl Duffy, and in 2020-21, when Bidyashagar Singh scored 12 goals for TRAU.

The preference of ISL and I-League clubs for foreign strikers and attacking midfielders has left the national team facing a severe shortage of attacking options. Strikers such as Manveer Singh, who is injured and will miss both competitions, are also being misused by clubs.

Singh, Ishan Pandita, Vikram Pratap Singh, Raheem Ali need to play regularly in their natural positions to develop their game, said Stimack. If their clubs give them the opportunity to play in the centre-forward position, they will score as many goals as foreign players. Chhetri became a better striker because he learned how to score; he learned how defenders would try to tackle him. He didn’t grow as a striker.

When asked if playing a different position adds to their skill set, Stimack said that can only happen after players understand perfectly what to do in their natural position. We are still a long way from modern soccer.

If clubs are to invest in foreign players, it should be fullbacks, Stimac said. At the moment, defenders are the weakest link in Indian soccer. So let’s make sure that every club buys one (foreign) defender in the future that Indians can learn from.

If India reaches the finals of both tournaments, it will play nine matches for26 days. That’s one more game than in 2022. Since they would go from a very short season to a season that would eat up their vacation time, Stimack said he would have to rotate players to keep them fresh and injury-free.

With India scheduled to play in the King’s Cup (Sept. 7-10), Stimack said he might not take responsibility for the 2024 Asian Under-23 Championship qualifiers, where India was grouped with China, UAE and Maldives on Thursday, because that would be between Sept. 6-12. India’s return to the Merdeka Cup (Oct. 14-17) means preparations for that tournament could make it unavailable for the Asian Games (Sept. 23-Oct. 8), Stimack said.

The Merdeka Cup could be India’s last competition before the Asian Cup in January. The ISL will pause, giving the national team at least two weeks to prepare for the Asian Cup, which begins Jan. 12 (India will play Australia Jan. 13), said Shaji Prabhakaran, general secretary of the All India Football Federation. If I don’t get more than two weeks, we will focus on the first game at the Asian Cup, Stimak said. To play a game in that time would mean losing three training sessions to prepare for a friendly, he said.

Haaland could also win a triple with City this season. Pep Guardiola’s team will face Manchester United in the FA Cup final on June 3. Then the UEFA Champions League final against Inter Milan is scheduled for June 11. The former Borussia Dortmund player is also the top scorer in the Champions League this season with 12 goals.

Read also | Cristiano Ronaldo insists on a move to a European giant, and it is not Real Madrid or Manchester United

Meanwhile, Mbappe is on his way to winning the Ligue 1 title with PSG, which is comfortably at the top of the standings. He has scored 28 goals in 32 games this season. He is also the top scorer in Ligue 1 this season, ahead of Lyon talisman Alexandre Lacazette, who has scored 26 times. PSG’s title ambitions suffered another miserable defeat against Bayern (3-0) in the round of 16 this season. He has scored seven goals in eight Champions League games. PSG, meanwhile, crashed out of the Coupe de France in the round of 16, losing 1-2 to Marseille.

Both Haaland and Mbappe have long been linked with Real Madrid. In La Liga, the focus is on Mbappe. According to reports.I think Mbappe is unlikely to leave PSG during this summer’s transfer window, but Madrid may have a chance to sign him for free. According to L’Equipe, Mbappe’s contract expires at the end of the 2023-24 season. Although he has the option to extend his contract for another year, there is a good chance that he will not go for it. In addition, the PSG board is pressuring the Frenchman to make a decision by the end of July.

If Mbappe’s move fails, Real Madrid is expected to make a bid for Haaland, but even that could be difficult since he seems to have settled in Manchester. But whoever moves to Real should be the successor of club legend Karim Benzema.

The 38-year-old moved to Al Nassr on a 2-1/2 year contract valued at more than 200 million euros. His contract with Manchester United was terminated after a scandalous interview with TV host Piers Morgan in which he criticized the club’s management and manager Erik ten Hag.

Read also | Martinez made the double and Inter retained the Coppa Italia crown

Despite his unceremonious departure from the Premier League, it seems that Bundesliga giants Bayern are interested in signing Ronaldo. Businessman Marcus Schoen has reportedly approached Bayern with an offer to move Ronaldo to Germany. But if the move does take place, the former Real Madrid player will have to take a pay cut. He was linked to Bayern during the winter transfer window, but the club reportedly rejected the deal because of his huge salary. Bayern’s interest in Cristiano has been further fueled by reports that the player is trying to secure a move to Europe and wants to play in the Champions League.

During last summer’s transfer window, Ronaldo was also linked to Bayern, but club general manager Oliver Kahn downplayed the likelihood of such a move. Talking to Bild, he said: We briefly discussed Ronaldo’s move to Bayern, and Dortmund probably did too. We also see the general picture of the Bundesliga. Of course, superstars like Ronaldo are an important factor in drawing attention to the league. He is one of the greatest players of the last decade. But we quickly dismissed that thought.

Meanwhile, former Al Nasr manager Rudy Garcia, who was recently fired, also said at a press conference that Ronaldo will not end his career in Saudi Arabia. Cristiano Ronaldo is a positive addition, as he helps disperseThe defenders. He is one of the best players in the world. He won’t end his career in Al-Nassr, but will return to Europe, he said.

As both teams prepare for next month’s major European finals and meet for the first time in a major domestic final, Inter made nine changes from Sunday’s loss to Napoli, letting forward Romelu Lukaku on the bench and replacing Andre Onan in goal with Samir Handanovic.

Fiorentina took the lead three minutes later after Jonathan Ikone delivered a pass that found unmarked Nico Gonzalez at the back post and he put the ball into the net.

Edin Dzeko had a clear chance to tie the game midway through the half, but couldn’t hold on to the ball when keeper Pietro Terracciano popped forward and sent his shot over the crossbar.

We started poorly and incorrectly, which is rare for us, but the guys did well to stay in the game and then turn the tide, Inter manager Simone Inzaghi told Mediaset.

I am happy because we won the cup we wanted to confirm what we did last season. Fiorentina is a quality team that gave us a lot of problems.

Inter had a successful season, retaining the Coppa Italia and Italian Super Cup titles and reaching the Champions League final next month against Manchester City.

We have two final games in Serie A, then Istanbul and a great season that we want to continue, Inzaghi added.

Argentine Martinez equalized with a shot from a close angle in the 29th minute and scored eight minutes later from close range.

Honestly, I’m touched because over the years we’ve brought trophies to this great club and we have to keep it up. I’m very happy, Martinez said.

I’m very happy to bring this trophy back to Milan, or rather to leave it there, because that’s where it was last year.

Fiorentina rarely threatened to get back in the match, and Terracciano showed his goalkeeping prowess by making a remarkable double save to deflect Lukaku’s powerful shot and Federico Dimarco’s ensuing strike.

Fiorentina’s best chance to even the score was when Luka Jovic’s shot was saved by Handanovic, but Inter held firm, celebrating their ninth Coppa Italia title.

On June 7, Fiorentina will face West Ham United in the Conference League final, while Inter will playCity in the Champions League final on June 10.

The Paraguayan equalized with an unstoppable 25-yard strike after Phil Foden gave City the lead at the Amex Stadium.

The point means Brighton are guaranteed to finish sixth, the highest final place in the top flight of English soccer.

This is an outstanding first season for manager Roberto de Zerby, who replaced Graham Potter in September after the former Brighton boss left for Chelsea.

It’s a fantastic goal, we achieved an incredible goal, de Zerby said. Man City are the best team in the world. It was a very difficult game for us. We deserved that point. We deserve the Europa League.

At the time, the club had an uncertain future, but under the Italian, who also led the team to the semi-finals of the FA Cup this season, the club began to flourish.

Sixth place beat the previous highest ninth place Brighton had reached under Potter last year.

At the beginning of the season, you never know what might happen when you hire a new coach, said Brighton chairman Tony Bloom. Fortunately, we hired the perfect person. The players have accepted him just fine. His motivational ability, tactical skills, and ability to get the best out of our players has been great.

The draw ended City’s 12-match winning streak in the league, which saw Pep Guardiola’s side beat perennial leader Arsenal to win their fifth title in six years.

With a third league title already secured, City had only to play to improve their overall points total.

The game we played was 48 hours after we drank all the alcohol in Manchester, and 48 hours later we behaved well and showed why we are champions against this team, Guardiola joked, referring to City’s title celebration on Sunday.

After receiving rest from a number of his star players against Chelsea on Sunday, Guardiola called up Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne to the starting lineup, while John Stones, Rhodri, Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva also returned to action.

Haaland had two chances to open the scoring before Foden gave City the lead in the 25th minute.

At the other end, Danny Welbeck had already hit the crossbar from a free kick.

Enciso helped level the score, and that shot was worthy ofto send his team to the top of the Europa League, as he washed his hands.shot with his right foot into the top corner in the 38th minute.

Haaland thought he scored his 53rd goal of the season with a late header, but that was overturned by VAR after he was found guilty of pulling a Levi Colville shirt before it.