Inter Milan v Chelsea:JOSE MOURINHO, keen as ever to cast himself as a fearless maverick, last night derided Carlo Ancelotti as being part of the establishment "clan" that he has long railed against.
Mourinho leads Internazionale into tonight’s Champions League tie against Chelsea with his long-standing dislike of Ancelotti exacerbated by his rival’s comment that all of Italy, bar Inter’s fans, would want the Premier League club to advance from the last-16 meeting.
The Portuguese chose his pre-match media conference at Inter’s training base in Appiano Gentile to hit back at Ancelotti, the Chelsea manager, who is expected to press Juliano Belletti into emergency service at left-back in tonight’s first leg to solve a selection crisis.
“If he [Ancelotti] says that, it’s because he knows and because somebody told him or because he belongs to the clan,” Mourinho said. “I do my job as always.”
Mourinho is the arch anti-establishment figure and, only last season, when Ancelotti was in charge at Milan, the former Chelsea manager complained about how he was treated by a cartel of Italian coaches in Serie A, including Ancelotti, Claudio Ranieri and Luciano Spalletti.
Mourinho has cemented his reputation this season. His eyes narrowed as he reflected on the three-match touchline ban he received on Monday for a handcuff gesture aimed at a referee who sent off two Inter players – the third time that he has been censured his season.
Yet if Mourinho can appear largely unloved in Italy, he continues to feel appreciated in England, where he managed Chelsea from 2004 to 2007, and his affection for the country endures.
“I could have been England manager,” he said, of the approach made to him by the Football Association before they appointed Fabio Capello, “and at that time, I was maybe the proudest man in the world. For a foreign coach to have the possibility to lead England . . . I was the proudest man in the world.
“I thought and I thought. One part of me wanted but the other knew it was not the job for my mentality. England chose a very experienced manager, who is doing a great job and because I love England, I hope he keeps doing very well.”
Ancelotti’s principal problem is at left-back, where he is without the injured Ashley Cole, Yuri Zhirkov and Jose Bosingwa; he might have cause to regret his decision not to register Paulo Ferreira for the Champions League.
Belletti, who has carried a slight knee injury, appeared to come through training at San Siro last night and he ought to take his place but, not for the first time, Cole was a talking point.
“I called him a few days ago,” said Mourinho, “because I care about him and I wish him a very quick recovery. And because I like him very much, my advice is ‘Don’t leave England’.”
It was put to Mourinho that Cole, whose off-the-field indiscretions will surely make him a target for opposing fans when he returns from his ankle injury, might benefit from a move abroad, where Real Madrid and Barcelona are among the clubs who would like to sign him.
“I watched Ashley Cole play until the moment of his injury and I watched him play superbly,” said Mourinho.
“So if he has problems, they are for sure not on the pitch. Ancelotti must give him advice, his family must give him advice and he must think for himself. If he wants my little opinion, my opinion is ‘Stay in England’.”
Mourinho added: “I know Chelsea well but it doesn’t mean it’s easier. Sometimes it’s more difficult because when you know so much about a team . . . you can get into trouble.”
“I played against (former club) Porto with Chelsea the year after I left. It was my team, my players. It was not easy.”
Ancelotti, who spent eight years at Milan, has been keen to skirt away from controversy in the build-up to the tie, and he even tried to distance himself from the quote about Italy wanting Chelsea to win.
“I am not interested in Mourinho,” he said. “I am only interested in preparing my team well. We are focused today and we will be focused tomorrow on this important game. ”
Guardian Service
