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Tag: Mourinho

  • Mourinho tipped to be next James Bond villain

    Mourinho tipped to be next James Bond villain

    AS Roma manager, Jose Mourinho has been tipped to play a James Bond villain by Sam Mendes, the director of Skyfall and Spectre.

    When asked about who would make a great Bond villain by a Guardian reader for a feature in their newspaper, iconic British director,  Mendes said;

    “I have no idea. They’ve made it so difficult for themselves for two reasons. One is they turned the franchise into something extraordinary with Daniel Craig. If you think about the actors that might have been up for the role after Pierce Brosnan, a lot of people would have said, ‘No way.’

    “They would not have even been considered for the role, not wanted to be considered for the role. Now, there’s barely an actor in the world who would turn it down. And that’s because of Daniel and because what’s happened to the franchise since. So that’s a great thing.

    “The bad thing is he’s dead. You tell me how they get out of that one. I want to ask, ‘How would you get out of it?’ As for a great Bond villain? José Mourinho. You can’t get better than that can you?”

    Among those who have played James Bond villains are Rami Malek and Donald Pleasence.

  • Jose Mourinho gets new job offer

    Jose Mourinho gets new job offer

    The Portugal Football Federation has approached Roma manager, Jose Mourinho, about replacing Fernando Santos as the national team’s head coach.

    It is believed they are ready to allow Mourinho to continue with the Serie A club ahead of Euro 2024.

    According to Corriere dello Sport, the football federation is ready for a change after their 2022 World Cup exit against Morocco last week.

    Santos, who won the Euro 2016, looks to be coming to the end of his time after a six-year spell.

    And Mourinho has been identified as the right man to reverse Portugal’s fortunes in their next major tournament.

    Portugal kick off their Euro 2024 qualifying chapter on March 23 against

  • Jose Mourinho ignoble, he is shameful – Cassano

    Jose Mourinho ignoble, he is shameful – Cassano

    Former Roma player Antonio Cassano slammed coach Jose Mourinho after Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Torino.

    Cassano is furious with the way Mourinho has managed Roma this season.

    He said on RAI: “Mourinho has to do only one thing, first of all talk about what his team is doing. The incredible thing is that even today he was caught with the ball for 70 minutes and nobody asks him the question.

    “There are always extra problems, never one. Once he says he can’t get the team to play well, it’s always the fault of the others. In 20 minutes, (Paulo) Dybala came in, who is the strongest player, but then you have to take 10 players and he doesn’t have to go to the bench. The coach has to do something, he’s been doing nothing for a year and a half.”

    On Rick Karsdorp, who was dropped for the game, Cassano added: “Mourinho ignoble, he is shameful. You can’t say hallucinating things about a boy, he also struggles to go out for breakfast. He blames others instead of thinking about his game. You talk to his face and that’s it.”

  • Eric Bailly recounts moments with Jose Mourinho

    Eric Bailly recounts moments with Jose Mourinho

    Manchester United defender Eric Bailly has claimed that his best time at the club came under Jose Mourinho.

    The Ivory Coast international was signed by Mourinho during his first summer in charge of United.

    The all-action defender became first choice alongside Marcos Rojo that season, but his injury proneness meant he spent far too long on the treatment table to build on his early United successes.

    Speaking with L’Equipe, the defender, now on-loan at Marseille, said: “The first contact [with Mourinho] was on the phone. I was in Abidjan when he called me, I see a Portuguese number, I don’t really know, I answer, and I hear: ‘Hello, it’s José Mourinho.’

    “There, I had no words. We talked a bit, he knew that there were interests from several clubs in England, and for him the best way to convince me was to call me personally.

    “He told me that he had followed me for years, that he had seen me grow at Espanyol and then at Villarreal.”

    He continued: “The first two seasons in Manchester were the best, they are good memories. Then there was the accumulation of injuries, and less playing time.

    “Mourinho is a very demanding person, who has a lot of character. He’s called the Special One and he’s really special. He brought me a lot in my progress.”

    “The greatest happiness, it is to find the grounds, to know that I will play.”

  • Why Mourinho played me as defensive midfielder – Mikel

    Why Mourinho played me as defensive midfielder – Mikel

    Former Super Eagles captain, Mikel Obi has revealed why former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho played him deeper in the midfield during his time at the London club.

    Mikel described his time under Jose ‘The Special One’ Mourinho as rewarding.

    The Champions League winner won every major honour possible in his 11-year spell at Stamford Bridge.

    Mikel told Pulse Sports: ‘Obviously, I was such a creative midfield player, I was so creative. I was so gifted with the ball, I never lost the ball, and that’s why I played the number 10 role. I was this guy who made everything happen.

    ‘And then going to Chelsea, obviously with those big-name players, massive players, you have to kind of give something.

    ‘And then, he [Mourinho] looked at it and said, “I can’t really get you to play it [No 10] because we have the likes of Joe Cole playing there. We have massive names playing there, you’ll have to change something,” and we had a chat about it.

    ‘I thought it was a positive chat, and after that, he said, “I see you playing there [deeper in midfield].”‘

    The midfielder announced his retirement at age 35.

  • Mourinho can be hard to work with if… – Matic

    Mourinho can be hard to work with if… – Matic

    Roma midfielder Nemanja Matic appreciates his relationship with coach Jose Mourinho.

    Matic worked with Mourinho also at Chelsea and Manchester United.

    He told The Times: “Everyone is agreed that he is one of the best managers in the history of football.

    “My personal relationship with him is great but, if you ask me why, I don’t know. I never ask for anything special from him and he can be a very hard guy to work with if you don’t have good results because he always wants to win.

    “He puts a lot of pressure on himself, the players and the staff. If you don’t win, you’re in big trouble.”

  • Serie A: Roma move did me good – Dybala

    Serie A: Roma move did me good – Dybala

    Roma striker Paulo Dybala admits moving to Roma was the right choice because he didn’t enjoy his final years at Juventus.

    Dybala is rediscovering his best form with the Giallorossi.

    He said, “Yes, the last few years at Juventus weren’t easy, a change did me good. (Jose) Mourinho called me and in a few minutes, I decided. He as well as the director spoke to me about the project and the desire to continue winning as they did last year.

    “Being a protagonist in such a team helps me a lot. The fans’ welcome? It was unusual. When you enter the stadium you’re with your teammates, there I was alone. It had never happened to me before.

    “Roma fans are similar to Argentinian fans in terms of passion. Different from the Juventus environment, more like the Argentinean one.

    “They have a beautiful madness, I feel this affection, for them Roma comes before the family. They live football as we do.”

  • They told me Zaniolo was a disaster – Mourinho

    They told me Zaniolo was a disaster – Mourinho

    AS Roma coach Jose Mourinho admits he feared losing Nicolo Zaniolo over the summer.

    The midfielder laid on two assists for their Europa League win at HJK Helsinski last night.

    Asked if he was worried Zaniolo could be leaving before the summer market shut, Mourinho said: “The director (Tiago Pinto) never came to me to say: ‘this possibility exists’. Never. You read so many things, especially in the summer.

    “I knew he was an important player for us, with different qualities than the others. He’s the only one with this physical potential. Yes, I was a little scared. Not so much because the manager never said there were possibilities.

    “He’s a good guy, they told me he was a disaster as a professional. Either it was lies or he changed. Never saw him arrive late, never problems.”

  • Martial blasts ex-managers Mourinho and Solskjaer

    Martial blasts ex-managers Mourinho and Solskjaer

    Manchester United attacker Anthony Martial has launched a furious blast at former managers Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

    Roma coach Mourinho criticised Martial after his sacking.

    “It started with the story of the shirt number,” Martial told France Football. “During the holidays, he [Mourinho] sent me a message to ask if I want to change to the No.11, explaining to me that it is great because it was worn by Ryan Giggs, a club legend.

    “I tell him that I have the greatest respect for Giggs but I prefer to keep the No.9. When I returned to the club, I see my name with the No.11, the story did not end well. He [Mourinho] lacked direct respect for me. He talked about me in the press, little phrases, a bit like he had done with Karim Benzema at Real Madrid. He likes these little games, but he also knows who he is doing it with.

    “He knows that I am then 20 years old, that if I say something, it is I who will pass for the young person who lacks respect.

    “So I said nothing, it was useless. The following season, I was the best in the team in the first part of the season, he brought in Alexis Sanchez and then I hardly played anymore. It’s the season of the World Cup and it cost me dearly, especially since the France team won. I should have been there.”

    Martial’s form briefly improved under Solskjaer, who replaced Mourinho, but the Norwegian has also come in for criticism. Martial has accused the Norwegian of ‘treachery’ for not defending his performances when he played on through injury.

    “I regularly played injured,” he continued. “People don’t know it, I couldn’t accelerate during the four months following the Covid season. The coach tells me he needs me, so I play. But, given my game, if I can’t accelerate, it becomes very complicated all the same. And I got set on fire [criticised by fans]… the coach never bothered to tell the media.

    “Obviously, I ended up getting injured for good and when I came back, finished, I didn’t play anymore. I took it very badly, I had a feeling of injustice, you are asked to sacrifice yourself for the team and behind the scenes you are dismissed. For me, it’s almost treachery. That’s all I hate. I can be blamed, but not for being fake.”

  • Mourinho was never ‘the special one’ for me – Hasselbaink

    Mourinho was never ‘the special one’ for me – Hasselbaink

    Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink says former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho was never ‘the special one’ for him despite what the Portuguese tactician is famously known for.

    When a young, much-hyped Mourinho took over at Chelsea in 2004, Hasselbaink’s time was up. He was sent to Middlesbrough on a free transfer.

    Hasselbaink says he had no say and wasn’t pleased.

    “I was absolutely gutted,” Hasselbaink told BBC Sport. “More gutted because Mourinho never spoke to me.”

    He believes there was outside influence on Mourinho’s decision.

    “I bet you that Mourinho had been told that I was a difficult lad,” Hasselbaink says, “hard to work with and all that kind of stuff – which was not the case at all.”

    Under Mourinho over the next three seasons, Chelsea became a dominant force, winning two Premier League titles, two League Cups, the FA Cup and a Community Shield.

    Meanwhile, Hasselbaink continued to be a high scorer for Middlesbrough over the next two seasons.

    He believes, though, that he was robbed of an opportunity to get silverware with Chelsea.

    “They got Drogba – what a signing – but surely I could have featured alongside him. I’ve spoken to Mourinho, he said, ‘yes, I made a mistake there.’ I don’t care what he said. He should have kept me and I would have had a medal.”

    Asked whether he believes that current Roma coach Mourinho is ‘the special one’, as the man himself famously claimed on arrival in West London, Hasselbaink disagrees.

    “He’s a brilliant coach, absolutely magnificent what he’s done in football, but he was never the special one for me.”