Jose Mourinho Outlines His Leadership Philosophy In Telegraph Interview

Jose Mourinho confirmed what many have suspected for years: He is a man of many dimensions.

The Chelsea manager shared his thoughts on his family, faith, managerial career and much more in a wide-ranging interview with the Telegraph on Thursday, giving readers greater insight into his methods and recipe for soccer success.

Mourinho is hard at work trying simultaneously to return Chelsea to the top in both England and Europe, and build a dynasty that will sustain success at Stamford Bridge in the coming years. The Portuguese tactician is confident about his chances of completing those twin tasks.

“I think I have a problem, which is I’m getting better at everything related to my job since I started,” Mourinho, 52, said. “There has been evolution in many different areas — the way I read the game; the way I prepare the game; the way I train; the methodology … I feel better and better.”

Mourinho has forged an impressive managerial career, winning a host of major trophies at three clubs in four countries in the last 11 years. Two constants in Mourino’s time on the sidelines is his ability to build and maintain strong personal relationships with his players and staff and his emphasis on the group’s goals over the individuals’.

“Now I coach the best players in the world, and the most important thing is not that you are prepared from the technical point of view; the most important thing is the relationship you establish with the person,” Mourinho said.

“Of course you need the knowledge, the capacity to analyze things. But the center of everything is the relationship, and empathy, not only with the individual but in the team. And to have that empathy in the team, we all must give up something. It’s not about establishing the perfect relation between me and you; it’s about establishing the perfect relation to the group, because the group wins things; it’s not the individual who wins things.”

Mourinho also discussed the role a manager plays at a soccer team, as well as how his family, faith and friends help him cope with the ups and downs on which the sport takes people. Read Mourinho’s full Telegraph interview. It’s worth the time.