Former Chelsea midfielder Jiří Jarošík shared his impressions of working with coach Jose Mourinho in an exclusive interview with Telecomasia.net.
- What was the difference between the English and the Russian leagues in particular?
- The Chelsea players were easily making 20-30 passes. In Russia, еру players were losing the ball after about five passes. There is much more emphasis on keeping the ball. In Russia or the Czech Republic, you also have to run to compensate for your lack of skill. Meanwhile, in England, everyone was sprinting all over the field. There were only four or five players on the bench, not 10-12 like now. It was hard to even get into the Chelsea squad.
- Name the player who impressed you in England at that time?
- Cristiano Ronaldo was the best player in the league at that time. I was thrilled when he would get the ball near his own penalty area and carry it fast to the opponents' penalty area.
- What do you think about Jose Mourinho?
- Chelsea was his first serious coaching experience outside of Portugal. Yes, we remember that he was an interpreter at Barcelona, but England was foreign to him. José had fairly simple training, but he's insanely motivating. He didn't need to teach Makélélé or Drogba how to play football. We had a game every three days.
When we played against Manchester United, in five minutes he managed to tell us how to play defense and what to do on offense. That's a big difference after CSKA, because with Gazzaev you would have to sit there for an hour. That can drive one crazy.
Mourinho led Chelsea from 2004 to 2007 and from 2013 to 2015. The Portuguese specialist led the team to victory in the English Premier League three times and also won the FA Cup, the Super Cup and the English League Cup.