Jose Mourinho relieved to end his two-year trophyless run as manager
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho expressed his satisfaction after winning the first trophy of his second spell at the club, following a 2-0 Capital One Cup final win against Tottenham at Wembley. It was the 21st trophy of his 15 year-long management career.
John Terry's first half goal and a second-half own goal from Kyle Walker, which Diego Costa could surely put a claim in for, saw the Blues prevail to secure their third League Cup. The victory was also Mourinho’s 10th win in 12 major finals.
Incidentally, the 2005 League Cup was Mourinho’s first trophy in England during his first spell at the club and it was closely followed by Chelsea's first League win in 50 years. This time too, the Blues are the favourites to win the Premier League for the first time in five years.
The win also signifies a personal relief for the ‘Special One’, ending his two-year trophy drought and Mourinho left no doubts that he wants more. He said, “It's difficult for me to live without titles. I need to feed myself with titles. This is important for me and the boys.”
“For the club it's one more Cup, but it's the first one of a new team. You have Petr Cech, John Terry, Didier Drogba and, after that, everybody belongs to a new generation of players. So, as a team, very, very important.”
Mourinho relieved after ending two-year trophyless run
After a trophyless first season back at Chelsea following a disappointing final year at his previous club Real Madrid, Sunday’s win was important for Mourinho. He would now be looking forward to build on the success and emulate the highs of his trophy-laden career prior to the last two years.
Mourinho said, “I started in 2000. I won the UEFA Cup in 2003, the Champions League in 2004. I didn't have time to process that. I went in a different direction, with two seasons without a trophy, and it looked like I was 20 years without a trophy.”
“This is a good problem, to have that feeling that two years is a long time. That's a good feeling. For me, it's important to feel that I'm a kid. Before the game, that I had the same feelings as my first final however many years ago. It's important to feel the same happiness after the victory, and to feel a kid at 52 years old.”
Mourinho called his wife, Matilde, from the tunnel, immediately after the win, to inform her of the same. “I had my son and my daughter here, but my wife was at home and didn't know the result until I called”, he said.