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MOURINHO: READY TO COME TO SAMARA AND HELP KRYLYA SOVETOV
Yesterday at the Inter camp in Appiano Gentile the Sport Express correspondent
talked to the head coach of the club Jose Mourinho.
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Jose Mourinh Photo REUTERS
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A most interesting fact was that this conversation took
place in presence of the head coach of Krylya Sovetov Leonid Slutstky
who signed a deal with the Italian club yesterday.
- What kinds of cooperation between the two clubs do you see?
- It is too early to talk about this as the relations between two clubs
are on their starting point and I have not participated in this process
yet. But I am ready for any possible cooperation. For example to come
to Russia and get to know the structure of the club from Samara. I would
talk with the coaching staff of Krylya with pleasure, tell the about my
concept of working with the team, share my experience and methods. This
is what I personally can give to the Russian club. If the two clubs decide
to further develop the relations including players' exchange, friendlies
- I will be only happy.
- Have you ever heard that your colleague Leonid Slutsky is called in
the Russian press 'Russian Mourinho'? The matter is that he never played
at a high level as a player as well as you.
- No. That is new to me. Then we will learn from one another. The fact
that I have been working on the highest level longer than my colleague
does not mean that I cannot learn anything from others. That is the reason
why I agreed to go to Samara. You can imagine how difficult it is to find
some time for an appointment when you are working in such a club as Inter.
But my partners invited me to come and analyze the structure and philosophy
of the club. And I am going to do it.
- Expressions like 'Russian Mourinho' mean that your name became a kind
of a brand.
- I never thought that I am a brand. I do not refer myself to the generation
of new coaches, as in my forty-five I have been working on the highest
level for nine years. When I became a coach nobody knew me, but then I
won the UEFA Cup, Champions League and the English Premier League: it
happened very quickly and I understood at once that I could work on the
level I wanted to work. My colleague should have his own name, his personality.
And if he is compared to me it should not become a problem for him but
on the contrary should serve as an additional motivation. I hope he will
have a fantastic career.
- What do you know about Krylya Sovetov?
- I know that this is a progressing club of the Premier League that has
its task to remain among the leaders of the Russian football. One cannot
compare it according to its popularity in Europe with CSKA or Zenit that
won important trophies but this club wants to compete with them.
- Have you heard that Jiri Jarosik who used to play in your Chelsea, and
the famous Czech forward Jan Koller are playing for Krylya Sovetov?
- Really? I must confess that I did not know. Jarosik helped the team
win the English championship 2004/05, took part in the winning final match
of the Champions League against Liverpool. This is a good player and he
proved it both in CSKA and Chelsea. If such players as he and Koller are
coming to Samara than the club is moving in the right direction. And the
current coach of Krylya I met several years ago in London. And I noticed
that he is eager to study and learn something new. So I do not doubt that
he wants to progress and that means that he is very smart.
- Aren't you surprised with the recent successes of the Russian football:
two UEFA Cups, Super Cup, Euro bronze?
- Not at all. Moreover I am happy with Russia. Football there is on a
high level now. And it is good not only for your country bur for the game
on the whole, as Russia is a large region that is becoming a full part
of the world football market.
Sport
Express Daily, 26 Feb 2009
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