MADRID: Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho is certain he will manage again in England once his time at the Bernabeu comes to an end.
The Portuguese, who won two Premier League titles with Chelsea in 2005 and 2006, said it did not matter which Premier League club he would return to despite his affection for the Blues.
“I cannot deny what is clear in my mind. After Real Madrid, England. That is for sure,” the former Porto and Inter Milan coach told Britain’s Sky Sports Television on Saturday.
Asked which team he would like to join, he added: “In England, everyone. I’m a blue, I’m a London blue but I’m a professional.” The idea of replacing Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, who has been in charge since 1986 and was due to retire in 2002 but changed his mind, has long appealed to the confident Portuguese manager.
Chelsea remains his true love though and he has previously stated he will return to Stamford Bridge one day.
Mourinho fears they will badly miss striker Didier Drogba this term after the Ivorian, match winner in the Champions League final in May, left for Shanghai Shenhua.
“I believe Drogba is a big difference to them. You can’t replace Drogba,” he said, aware that Fernando Torres has been hit-and-miss so far this term as Chelsea’s lone striker.
“Chelsea will miss Drogba and it will mean a few points less.” Mourinho’s Spanish champions have had a sticky start to the season, losing two of their four La Liga games before a stirring comeback to beat Manchester City 3-2 late on in Tuesday’s Champions League encounter.
The Portuguese lashed out at his players following last weekend’s league defeat by Sevilla, questioning the commitment and focus of many of his team.
He surprisingly dropped Spain defender Sergio Ramos for the City thriller, replacing him with little-used 19-year-old Rafael Varane which led to media speculation that one of the leading figures in the dressing room had been punished.
“I am not going to talk about him (Ramos) because he didn’t play the last game,” Mourinho told a news conference on Saturday ahead of their league game at Rayo Vallecano.
“Pepe and Varane played, they played very well and kept things simple. They were good in the air, they were quick and they pushed the team up the pitch. City scored two goals against us but neither of the central defenders was at fault.” Pressed on the reasons for Varane playing instead of Ramos, Mourinho snapped back: “I can explain why Ramos didn’t play, but I want to ask you a question.
“Why don’t you speak about Varane? A week ago, why didn’t you talk about the sadness of Varane and his frustration at not being able to play? “Now he plays a good game and no-one speaks about him. You tell me this and I will happily tell you about Ramos.”
Mourinho will return to England ‘for sure’
Mourinho will return to England ‘for sure’
Marmoush, Salah strike as Egypt edge out holders Ivory Coast in quarter-final
- Egypt wasted little time in taking the lead as Marmoush scored in the fourth minute
- That set up a siege of the Egyptian goal in the final 15 minutes but they held out to advance
AGADIR, Morocco: Omar Marmoush netted the opener and Mohamed Salah scored the decisive goal as Egypt ended Ivory Coast’s reign with a narrow 3-2 triumph in Saturday’s Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final.
Center back Rami Rabia was the other scorer for the Egyptians, who had little possession at the Grande Stade Agadir but took their chances with clinical precision and held on grimly to book a semifinal meeting with Senegal on Wednesday.
An own goal from Ahmed Fatouh and a late effort by Guela Doue proved insufficient for the Ivory Coast, winners of the tournament on home soil two years ago but now deposed as African champions.
Egypt, who have won a record seven Cup of Nations titles, wasted little time in taking the lead as Marmoush scored in the fourth minute after Hamdi Fathy pinched the ball from Franck Kessie in the midfield, allowing Emam Ashour to thread a pinpoint ball to the sprinting Marmoush. He still needed to shrug off the attentions of defender Odilon Kossounou before slotting home.
But it quickly became clear the Ivorians were going to dominate possession, showing much more physical strength on the ball but without setting up clear chances.
Egypt went 2-0 up in the 32nd minute when Rabia rose above the defenders to head his side further ahead from a corner.
The Ivory Coast, who had 70 percent of possession in the first half, reduced the deficit eight minutes later when teenager Yann Diomande’s freekick near the corner took a slight brush off Kossounou’s head and ricocheted off the knee of full back Fatouh and into the net.
SALAH FINISHED OFF CLEVER MOVE
The Ivorians had come from 2-0 down to beat Gabon 3-2 earlier in the tournament but hopes of turning the scoreline around soon after the re-start were stymied by a simply created, but superbly finished, goal for Salah seven minutes after the break.
Rabia was well inside his own half when he chipped the ball over the top of the Ivorian defensive line, allowing Ashour to run onto it and hit an accurate pass with the outside of his right boot into the path of Salah to score.
An Ivorian comeback was still on when Doue touched home at the end of a goalmouth scramble in the 73rd minute.
That set up a siege of the Egyptian goal in the final 15 minutes but they held out to advance.
Earlier on Saturday, Nigeria overpowered Algeria 2-0 in Marrakech and will take on hosts Morocco in the other semifinal.
