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Mourinho leaving Chelsea?
11/04/2007 15:40 - (SA)
Valencia - Even another trip to the Champions League semi-finals and a chance to win four major trophies might not be enough to keep manager Jose Mourinho at Chelsea.
The two-time defending Premier League champions advanced to the last four of Europe's top club competition 3-2 on aggregate after a 2-1 win over Valencia on Tuesday.
Chelsea, the first English team to win at the Mestalla stadium in 40 years, has already won the League Cup and is also in the semi-finals of the FA Cup. In the league, Chelsea trails Manchester United by only three points.
"What I want is to remain in England with Chelsea, but sometimes in life you cannot get what you wish," said Mourinho, who is under contract until 2010. "I love training with the club and I want to stay. But if I am not the manager with Chelsea then I want to take charge of another team."
Chelsea will find out on Wednesday night who it will play next in the Champions League, although Mourinho is already preparing for another semi-final encounter with Liverpool, who beat PSV Eindhoven 3-0 in the first leg.
Liverpool advanced - and subsequently won the competition two years ago-at Chelsea's expense on a disputed goal by Luis Garcia that Mourinho still refuses to recognize.
"Revenge is not for me. Not in football and not in my life," Mourinho said. "But it's a tie we start from behind if we face them.
Will be ready for them
"We have players suspended and on yellow cards and Liverpool is in a very clean situation so I think they start in front of us. But the mentality and the character my players are showing - we will be ready for them."
Mourinho, who won the Champions League with FC Porto in 2004, showed why he is one of the world's top coaches on Tuesday. A tactical change at halftime - when Valencia led 1-0 - saw Chelsea take control of the match.
The Portuguese manager brought on Joe Cole for Lassana Diarra, moving Michael Essien to right back and Cole to an attacking wing role.
"It was not one of these hot halftime (talks), I was just telling them to be strong," Mourinho said. "In the second half we were very, very, very dominant."
Within seven minutes, Andriy Shevchenko had equalized before Essien scored with a hard shot to the near post to send Chelsea into the semi-finals for the third time in the last four years.
The Ghana international, who hadn't played since March 11 because of a knee injury, won't be available for the first leg of the semi-finals after being booked in the fourth minute.
"Essien is a special player," Mourinho said. "He can play a game everyday. He is a superb athlete."
Mourinho said Chelsea could cope without Essien for the first leg of the semi-finals.
"When we lost him one month ago it was a big, big loss. But he was ready to come for this crucial game," Mourinho said. "I know he is suspended for the next game but this one was the crucial one. The next one is not crucial."
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