Mourinho dreams of Champions League success with Tottenham
Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho during the training session at Tottenham Hotspur Training Centre (Pic: Tess Derry/PA) - Credit: PA Wire/PA Images
Jose Mourinho is back in the Champions League and would love to add a third crown with Tottenham this season.
Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho speaks with Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min during a training session (Pic: Tess Derry/PA) - Credit: PA Wire/PA Images
Mourinho's second game in charge of Spurs is the group game with Olympiacos, where a point will send them through to the knockout stages for a third successive year.
The 56-year-old has proclaimed he is now the 'humble one' but did not take long in his pre-match press conference to remind everyone of his record in this competition.
He knows adding to that with Spurs will not be easy, but is not scared by any of the opponents.
"I love the competition as much as everyone in football," he said. "It's something that everybody dreams about, to win it.
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"Not everyone has the privilege to be a Champions League winner, which I was happy enough to do twice.
"Do I want to win it a third time? Of course, I would love it but I know the difficulties of it.
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"But with these boys, I will never be afraid of any Champions League match that comes into our faces.
"I repeat, we need to qualify, that is the focus. I always say that.
"We have to qualify, but, as I was saying, give me time to work, give me time to float my ideas with these boys and I will have no problem at all going to any stadium at all to face any big opponent in Europe or in England.
"We are not going to be afraid of anybody."
Mourinho is less than a week into his job at Spurs and is still getting to know his players.
One situation he has already addressed is the future of Christian Eriksen, who is out of contract in the summer and is not going to sign a new one.
Mourinho has suggested that the Dane's selection will be affected by his long-term plans.
"My decisions about starting him or not starting, selecting or not selecting, will be based on a perspective of a future," he said.
"I cannot hide that. We have a present and in football we have to focus on the present, in this case the game, but it's a club where you have to think about the future.
"These important decisions obviously they have an influence on my decisions as a head coach, but the important thing is that Christian staying or leaving, he's that type of guy who easily I could understand.
"Proper guy, loves the club, loves his colleagues, amazing colleague in the dressing room. So it doesn't matter what, he's one of us until the last day."
