Mourinho: 'My 2004/05 Chelsea side doesn't get enough credit' | OneFootball

It's April 30, 2005. With four games to spare, Chelsea have beaten Bolton 2–0 (Frank Lampard scoring both goals) to be crowned English champions for the first time in 50 years.

On the touchline, José Mourinho celebrates with unbridled passion. The title is his. Twenty years on, the Portuguese manager speaks to our sister website Zerozero about that historic season and its legacy.

zerozero – When did the first contact with Chelsea happen?

José Mourinho – March/April, around the time of the Champions League quarter-finals.

zz – Was Chelsea always your first choice?

JM – I listened to everyone, as I still do—out of respect and to analyse without rushing. I wanted the Premier League, but there was also Italy. Once I met with Chelsea, they became the first choice.

zz – What was your relationship with English football before 2004?

JM – I worked for years with Bobby Robson, a true gentleman of English football. I learned a lot from him - about the culture, the trends, how the game had evolved.

zz – Had you ever seen Chelsea live before taking the job?

JM – We played against Chelsea with Barcelona in the Champions League [1999–2000 quarter-finals: Barça won in extra time]. We also faced them in pre-season with FC Porto. And I went to watch the semi-final between Chelsea and Monaco [a day after Porto’s 1–0 win at Deportivo, in La Coruña].

zz – What surprised you most about English football on the ground? (Organisation, fans, refereeing, competitiveness, media coverage, etc.)

JM – I wasn’t really surprised, because I already knew a lot. But feeling the passion first-hand was overwhelming.

zz – Arsenal (Invincibles in 2004), Manchester United, and Liverpool (Champions League winners in 2005). Before the season started, who worried you most?

JM – The invincible Arsenal and the wounded giant, Manchester United.

zz – Interestingly, none of those three beat Chelsea—Liverpool and United both lost home and away. Your only defeat came against Kevin Keegan’s Manchester City via an Anelka penalty. How did you handle that 1–0?

JM – Not losing at all — that’s what’s unusual. That Arsenal side in 2003–04 was the exception. We were focused on winning the title. That defeat at City? Just a bump in the road. A crumb.

zz – Your relationship with Chelsea fans extended beyond the pitch. Any memorable stories?

JM – One in particular. I was at Stamford Bridge for the Monaco semi-final with AVB [André Villas-Boas]. There were already rumours I’d be the next manager. A group of fans spotted me and shouted: “Go back to Portugal — we want Ranieri!” I still remember it.

zz – “They put the bus in front of the goal” was your reaction after the 0–0 vs. Tottenham. Did teams often play defensively against Chelsea?

JM – Not usually, no. Even in the domestic cups, English teams always tried to play. I didn’t realise at the time how intense the rivalry with Tottenham was. We dominated them that day, but they really did park a double-decker in their box. Still finished 0–0.

zz – Which win gave you the most satisfaction?

JM – Bolton, because that’s where Chelsea won the title.

zz – Correct me if I’m wrong: you started the season with a 4-4-2 and switched to a 4-3-3 in October? Why the change?

JM – I won the Champions League with Porto playing a diamond 4-4-2, and I loved the dynamics it brought. I tried it at Chelsea with some success early on, but as I better understood what Lampard, Duff, Robben, and Joe Cole could offer... I couldn’t force players into a system that didn’t showcase their strengths. Lampard was an 8, Cole a winger—not No.10s. Robben and Duff were too good to leave on the bench. Tiago, Smertin, and Gudjohnsen lost minutes, but we became a stronger team.

zz – The Wikipedia entry for Chelsea 2004–05 reads: “The season was historic for the vast number of Premier League records set.” It lists: most points (95), most away wins (15), most clean sheets (25), fewest goals conceded away (9), most wins (29), fewest goals conceded in total (15). How do you feel reading that 20 years later?

JM – That was a great team. And to this day, it still doesn’t get the recognition it deserves in Premier League history.

zz – Chelsea signed Paulo Ferreira, Cech, Robben, Kezman, Drogba, Tiago, Ricardo Carvalho, and Nuno Morais. All Mourinho’s picks? Any tough negotiations?

JM – Cech and Robben arrived with me, but were already being negotiated. Drogba was tough—it was a big fee, and he wasn’t yet respected in England. Only through my insistence did Chelsea sign him. In a less digital era, I was lucky to play against him, then I travelled several times to watch Marseille. He was the No. 9 to win the league.

zz – The club moved on players like Bogarde, Verón, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Desailly, Melchiot, Petit, Stanic, Gronkjaer, Carlton Cole, Crespo, Zenden, Ambrosio. All your decision?

JM – All mine. The idea was to help players like Terry and Lampard step forward. I had to break from the past and its institutionalised leaders, end one cycle and start another. They were good players - but sometimes, you have to reset.

zz – You won the title at Bolton - 20 years ago to the day. What’s your clearest memory of that day?

JM – Lampard dribbling the keeper, and me already celebrating the title before he rolled the ball into the empty net.

zz – You won the Champions League with Porto with only two foreign players in the XI. A year later, you won the Premier League with Chelsea, with only two Englishmen and seven different nationalities. How do you explain the contrast — and the consistency?

JM – Empathy in football matters more than people realise.