Mourinho relishing huge tie

Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho is relishing the chance to face Manchester United again as the sides prepare for their Champions League showdown.



The Spanish champions welcome the Red Devils to the Bernabeu on Wednesday for the first leg - and Mourinho hopes the teams rise to the occasion.

The Portuguese, who was at Old Trafford to see United beat Everton 2-0 on Sunday, told MUTV: "It is the match the world is waiting for. People think we are under pressure because a big team will be out.

"But it is the kind of match we want and the people are not waiting for any other game. I hope we give them what they want."

On pitting his wits against old foe Sir Alex Ferguson, the former Chelsea boss added: "I feel privileged about that because he is such an important person in the world of football and, more importantly, he is good person.

"I have always had a fantastic relationship with him and I am proud of it. We have had so many matches between us which started with Porto. We had some with Chelsea, Inter and now Real. Some I had won, some I have lost, others I have drawn.



"Of course, I want to win and he wants to win, but I believe the loser will have a little bit of space to feel a little bit happy because of the friendship. But make no mistake, I want to win."

Mourinho plays down PSG link

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has conceded defeat in the Primera Liga title race while distancing himself from the Paris Saint-Germain job.



The Portuguese faces an uncertain future at the Bernabeu as Real struggle to close a 15-point gap on league leaders Barcelona, with reports in Spain suggesting Mourinho is also at odds with several club directors and members of his playing staff.



The 49-year-old has been linked with a summer return to England, where he managed Chelsea to two Premier League titles, or a potential move to ambitious French outfit PSG.



An in-depth interview with Mourinho will be broadcast on French radio station RMC Sport this afternoon, but Spanish newspaper AS published several key points of discussion on their official website in advance.



Mourinho told RMC Sport: "The La Liga title is impossible now, there is too big a gap. We have to focus on other goals like the Copa del Rey and the Champions League."



"It does no good to obsess over these things, obsession only makes things more complicated. Nothing will be easy."



"We need to stay calm and make the most of every opportunity."



PSG have struggled to dominate Ligue 1 this season despite heavy investment in the playing squad, with star names Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thiago Silva and Ezequiel Lavezzi being drafted in by head coach Carlo Ancelotti and director of football Leonardo.



Mourinho believes the capital club will prove to be a force to be reckoned with, both at home and abroad, but rejected suggestions he could replace Ancelotti in the summer.



"No, I don't think I will coach PSG," he added. "The success of PSG with Ancelotti and Leonardo means they have no need for another coach.



"I hope everything goes well for Carlo and PSG."



"Europe needs to have a city like Paris competing at the top level of football, and I think this project is going to work."



The Portuguese was also eager to play down his reputation as a controversial figure having drawn unwanted attention to himself on several occasions.



One such incident resulted in a two-match ban as Mourinho appeared to jab then-Barcelona assistant coach Tito Vilanova in the eye at the end of a Spanish Super Cup game in August 2011.



He added: "People talk about controversies that don't exist. Every day I hear about controversies concerning me but are unfounded."



"I am a football coach, I am just doing my job and trying to get good results."

Mourinho: "One day I will go back to England"

José Mourinho has again expressed his love for the Premier League, claiming that "one day" he will coach in England again because English football "means a lot" to him.



In a video tribute to the FA as part of the latter's 150th anniversary celebrations, Mou admitted that "there couldn't be a better place to go" than England. "My memories in English football couldn't be better", he continued: "I loved it from the first day to the last day. I don't regret my last day because after that I was lucky enough to enjoy Italy and also Spain. But I know that one day I will come back because English football means a lot to myself".



Mourinho believes that English football is "pure football; the football you play as a kid in the street, transported in time and space into organised competitions and into the real world of football. In England you feel the real passion for the game; it's not just about passion for clubs, it's about passion for football and you feel it. When you are in England, you feel proud to be in football".



The Portuguese coach also reflected fondly on the FA Cup, the last trophy he lifted with Chelsea: "I know what I felt when I had to go up the Wembley stairs. For me, the FA Cup represents the passion of football. It represents clean football. It represents the good smell of football", he concluded.

Modric: I have something to offer Madrid

Luka Modric has promised to win over Jose Mourinho in the second half of the season as Real Madrid attempt to chase La Liga leaders Barcelona.



The former Tottenham playmaker, pivotal at White Hart Lane, has often underwhelmed since swapping England for Spain last August.



Although the 27-year-old has started just eight league games and registered a solitary goal since completing his 37-million-euro transfer, Modric insists he has a contribution to make to the team despite being voted the worst signing of the season in Spain in a newspaper poll recently.



"I have had a few good performances, if not in every game, but I believe I can prove I have something to offer," Modric told Croatian newspaper Sportske.



The diminutive midfielder has been kept out of the side by the likes of Xabi Alonso along with German pair Mesut Oezil and Sami Khedira.



The trio were central to Real Madrid's title win last season, but Modric has played down notions that he has been overawed by the challenge of breaking into such an established set-up.



"It is very challenging to adapt to life at a big club like Madrid, but I'm not the kind of person to make excuses," Modric said.



"This is Real Madrid and I understand there is great pressure for new signings to succeed here."

Deco: Mourinho´s feats harder than Guardiola´s

Former Portugal midfielder Deco believes Jose Mourinho's coaching successes have been much harder than those of Pep Guardiola.



The two bosses clashed on numerous occasions before Guardiola stepped down as Barcelona manager last summer, after losing out on the La Liga title to Real Madrid.



Deco himself enjoyed four years at Camp Nou between 2004 and 2008, but despite his links with the Catalans, he has offered his backing to his compatriot.



"Winning in all places as Mourinho has done is harder," he told RTP.



"Guardiola is a great coach, but Barcelona went on to say that he did not invent anything. But let's see how he does with other teams and different training methods, then we can make a better assessment."



The Fluminense man also had his say on Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, with the pair hot favourites to lift the Ballon d'Or and admits he finds it impossible to separate the two.



"During this year Cristiano was the best player in the entire first half and now it is Messi who is doing amazing things. I do not know who will win, honestly it's hard," he said.

Mourinho: Varane played through the pain

Real Madrid manager, Jose Mourinho expressed his disappointment in several of his player’s performances in their 2-1 loss to Celta Vigo on Wednesday evening, but insisted that they can still win the tie.

In his post-match press conference, Mourinho did not call out players specifically, but hinted that there were players who were not giving their all, while praising defender, Raphael Varane for fighting through injury to remain on the pitch.



“Varane is a champion because he was injured and played through the pain, he gave more injured than others who weren’t. He did his job as a centre forward because he couldn’t sprint and defend. We left him there and he did well. It was my decision to leave Morata out. Sometimes I make good decisions, some bad, and today was a bad decision. Maybe Morata should have been on the bench. I made a change because we were losing and I wanted more energy in the attack.



“Obviously there are players who disappointed me, but you can’t expect me to call them out individually. I can’t remember who asked me the question, but with Morata green, raw and has ambition but what’s best is that he wants to make mistakes. Morata might have been better because a player who doesn’t want this that badly, doesn’t want to play. It was cold, rainy and I think we saw the same game, with similar eyes. You guys can criticize the decisions of the manager, but it’s not always the manager that has the responsibility. I honour my responsibilities and nothing else.



“I liked Celta Vigo. I think they deserved to win the match, the result is indicative of what happened. It take much for them to score two goals and the same with the one we scored. Perhaps it was more of a 1-0 game. They scored the second unknowingly and forced us to react, but they were the best team on the field. I think Madrid are the favourites and I think we will win. I’d rather lose here today than in the league.



“We have every chance to pass. We don’t have to win 4-0 or 5-0. We have to win 4-2, 2-0, 1-0. We don’t have to make a historic comeback, we just have to win, but I also know that Celta will put all their cards on the table and try to play their game. I think we can win and our stadium will be more excited than if we had won here. We have to turn the result around and I still think we can win the tie.”


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Mourinho 'happiest at Inter'

Jose Mourinho has revealed that Inter Milan was the place that made him the happiest, but says his career would not have been complete without Real Madrid.

The Portuguese manager, 49, left Inter after his side famously defeated Spanish giants Barcelona on their way to their first European Cup title for 45 years.



Despite great success at Porto, Chelsea and Madrid, the man known as 'the Special One' says Inter is the place that gave him the most pleasure.



Since joining Madrid he has guided Los Blancos to their first domestic title since 2008, as well as success in the Copa del Rey and the Supercopa de Espana.



"Inter is the club where I liked most to stay, no one else gave me the same happiness. When I left, I cried more than once, I will belong to the Nerazzurri family forever," said Mourinho.



"I wondered why I left, and now I try to explain it. Friends told me that I could be a great coach, but without working for Real Madrid there would be a hole (in my career).



"It's why I got busy with Florentino Perez, but I always miss Inter."