MOURINHO: ENVY OF EUROPE

This Barclays Premier League season will
be more difficult to win than any other he
has managed in, according to Jose
Mourinho .
League leaders Arsenal are four points
clear, but with just a further four points
separating second and ninth, there is no
doubt this top flight is shaping up to be
one of the tightest ever.
Mourinho assessed the strength of
England's domestic league now
compared to his first spell in charge,
before giving his verdict on whether a title
triumph in 2013/14 would rank higher
than the one his Chelsea team managed
in 2004/05.
'The competition is different now, the
teams are different now. Before there
were just three teams fighting for the title,
now there are six,' the manager pointed
out.
'Nobody knows what can happen. Maybe
the difference will be whether teams are
in or out of Europe. Maybe the difference
will be a couple of points.
'It will be good fun. We have the
competition that every country in Europe
wants to have, but nobody has. We have a
fantastic league and we should enjoy it.
'To win the title this season would be
more impressive than winning it in 2005,'
Mourinho judged. 'History plays a role. To
win when the club is not historically a
winner is a hard step to take, so to win
the first time was hard, but to win the title
this season would be a bigger
achievement.'
Ahead of a busy week of action, during
which we will play three crucial league
games, the Portuguese has been
discussing how he plans to utilise his
squad with nine precious domestic points
up for grabs.
Following the loss to Basel on Tuesday
night, the manager noted that a number
of his players were feeling the effects of
fatigue, with many having recently
returned from an international break that
had taken them all over the world.
Mourinho explained how he plans to
manage his players over the busy period
ahead, with a particular focus on Juan
Mata and Frank Lampard .
'I have to think about the week and not
just about this match.
'Of course, this match (against
Southampton) is the most important one
because it's the next one, but in some
positions I have the conditions to make
rotations and to put fresh legs from
match to match. I will try not to give three
matches to anybody. This is a week for
everybody.
'Juan will play at least a couple of
matches. In relation to him I keep saying
the same thing. He's a very good player
and he's a very good professional. When
he's not playing I am not happy. It hurts
me. It is just a question of an option.
'Some players play a lot of matches but
in a certain way. The way Lampard plays
is not a certain way, it's his way - the 200
per cent way,' Mourinho said of the all-
time record goalscorer. 'We have to
control him, support him and understand
the best way to get the best out of him.'
Mourinho sees no reason to add to his
squad before the end of the season, and
is happy he can bring a new man into his
Champions League list ahead of the
knockout stages, with a like-for-like
replacement bolstering his midfield
options.
'We start the season with this group and
most probably we are going to end the
season with this group. At the end of the
season we will be in a better condition to
analyse our squad, to analyse the market
and to make a couple of changes to
improve the team for next season.
'We have a plan, we have a board and we
have financial rules that we have to obey
and we have to follow, so we don't think
an investment for players that cannot play
in the Champions League is the correct
one. We are ready to go to the end with
the same people.
'I will change Marco van Ginkel with
Essien in the Champions League squad
list. We are going to try to find balances.
Our squad is our squad. Instead of
thinking about the market, we will think
about trying to work and trying to
improve the team.'