From The Sunday Times:
You would not play poker with an easy heart in the company of Jose Mourinho. Chelsea’s new coach has begun his power game with a hand that pretends he is showing us everything, but is concealing almost as much.
There is charm and a nod of approval for those who arrive bright and early to follow his lead, and a deadly cut for any who do not. His call for players not involved in Euro 2004 came, in writing, to attend Stamford Bridge last Monday morning at 8.15. His groundwork was laid in twice-daily sessions lasting precisely 90 minutes at Harlington, the club’s training ground near Heathrow. The direct confrontation he may have been seeking with one of the big egos among the playing staff he inherited also came early, and was made public by Mourinho.
It was hard to know if Mourinho was looking at you, or looking into himself when he listened to observations about the heart attack that afflicted Gerard Houllier at Liverpool, the slight heart irregularity of Sir Alex Ferguson, the death on duty of Jock Stein. "If I want a quiet, easy job and working with big protection," he responded, "I would stay in Porto. There is a beautiful blue chair. We were League champions, won the Uefa Cup, the Champions League.
"There was God, and after God, me."
He waited for the apparent arrogance, the trademark boastfulness, to register. Then he continued: "People in Porto still trust me. There are different pressures here, sure, but I believe that at the end of my contract (for four years, at £4m a season) Chelsea will want to give me a new contract because we are successful.
"If not, if I fail, I have to go home. But a heart attack? I don’t think so. I left Porto because I had access to some of the best clubs in Europe. I could choose. I wanted to go for it while I’m young and strong and motivated.
"I’m 41, and when I’m 60 I want to go to my house in the Algarve and to 40 degrees every day, and to live there with my kids . . ."