LONDON — A “calmer” Jose Mourinho said Monday he returned to Chelsea hoping to create stability after a decade of constant change at Stamford Bridge.
At the first news conference of Mourinho’s second Chelsea stint, there was less of the bravado that characterized his first introduction in 2004.
Back then, Mourinho described himself as a “Special One.” But on Monday he declared: “I am the Happy One.”
Mourinho insisted that his relationship with owner Roman Abramovich had not broken down when he left abruptly early in the 2007-08 season, after leading Chelsea to its first league title in 50 years in 2005 and successfully defending it the following season.
Seven managers have led Chelsea since 2007, as Mourinho went on to coach Inter Milan and Real Madrid.
“We are ready to work together and [have] much better conditions this time to succeed and have what this club wants, which is stability,” Mourinho told more than 200 reporters inside Stamford Bridge.
The charismatic and fiery manager left Madrid earlier this month after falling out with the team’s fans and parts of the Madrid hierarchy, but the 50-year-old Portuguese coach now says he has mellowed.
Asked about his temperament, Mourinho said: “Calmer? I believe so.”
“I am better able to manage my emotions, calmer in victory, less depressed in defeat,” he added.
Mourinho also won the FA Cup once and two League Cups during his first stint at Chelsea, but failed to give Abramovich the Champions League trophy the Russian cherished above all other titles.
Europe’s top prize, which Mourinho won at FC Porto in 2004 and Inter Milan in 2010, was delivered to Chelsea by Roberto Di Matteo in May 2012.
“[The] Champions League cannot be an obsession for me because I was happy to win it twice,” Mourinho said. “I don’t think it’s an obsession for Chelsea because Chelsea has won it.”
