José: I felt sorry for losers Arsenal

Saturday, May 20, 2006

In common with anyone with a passion for football in

Europe

, José Mourinho watched Wednesday’s Champions League Final. His thoughts afterwards were with the defeated team.

“I was watching the game normally, waiting for anyone to be the winner and not enthusiastic about it like I was supporting somebody,” he recounts.

“I was just wishing a good game but at the end I felt sorry for Arsenal people. I felt sorry because they had a fantastic game in difficult circumstances. In the big occasions I never enjoy to see the faces of the losers.

“I think Arsenal played very well. It is very difficult to do better than they did with ten men. I think English football can be proud of what they did in

Paris

.

“Maybe people don’t believe me in what I am saying but I feel that with the career Wenger has behind him, he deserves to win the Champions League one day. You look at the first line of coaches in Europe and almost everybody has had the luck to be European Champion once — Lippi, Capello, Ancelotti, myself, Rijkaard,

Ferguson

,

Benitez

,

Del

Bosque.

“You go around and almost everybody has got it. I think he deserves it and I feel sorry for him.”

While Arsenal lick their wounds from the defeat by

Barcelona

, they have been able to console themselves with the news Thierry Henry has agreed a new contract. Despite the intense rivalry between

London

’s two leading clubs, it’s a development Mourinho welcomes.

“English football should be proud to have Ballack playing in this country and we must all be very proud to have Thierry Henry playing in English football also. So I am happy. Of course Arsenal will be stronger with him, no doubt about it, but that he stays in English football is fantastic for all of us.”

by Paul Mason

Ballack: Why Chelsea is my choice Monday, May 15, 2006

New signing Michael Ballack first dreamed of playing abroad six years ago. More recently he settled on the Premiership as his destination. When it came to selecting a club, he chose Chelsea ahead of Manchester United. Those were decisions that led to his arrival at Stamford Bridge on Monday morning, as explained by the player when he spoke to the media shortly after signing a contract. Introduced by José Mourinho and chief executive Peter Kenyon who confirmed Ballack has agreed a three-year deal and is a free transfer secured against competition from many top clubs, the German international shared his thoughts on why he is swapping the Bundesliga for English football. “For me I have had a dream of playing abroad from the age of 22 to 23,” he said. “It was a question of where would I go and when would I go. “Then I had my moves from Kaiserslautern to Bayer Leverkusen and finally to Bayern Munich so I didn’t move abroad then. Money I can earn in any league, I earn well in Germany, so that’s not the main reason I’m moving. “The main reason is the challenge to come and play in England. Earlier days I thought about playing in the sun, but in recent times it has become clear that the Premier League is one of the strongest leagues in the world. You can see the achievements of Arsenal and Liverpool in the Champions League the last two seasons and Chelsea’s dominance was also attractive. “They gave me the chance to play here. It wasn’t 100 per cent sure that I would play here if I wanted to. That was Chelsea’s decision. “Man United came in quite early for me,” he revealed. “But really I saw the possibilities at Chelsea being much greater - a stronger team - and also London has its attractions as a family man. In the final analysis, Chelsea’s aims for the coming years are what attracted me.” Ballack sought the opinions of Germans playing in England before making up his mind — including our own Robert Huth and Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann. The German captain also consulted his national coach Jürgen Klinsmann. “I spoke to him on several occasions about playing in England and he was very positive about this move because he played at Spurs where he was very popular. He phoned me up this morning to congratulate me and said he was very enthusiastic about this new challenge for me.”  The German press have reported that coming into such a strong squad of players, Ballack has requested guarantees of a place in the starting eleven. This he refutes. “There is no such thing as a guarantee, that has never been the case. Whenever I’ve moved, I’ve never made that demand. “There will obviously be competition. Chelsea have top midfielders like Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, Claude Makelele and as a player that is good for me. I am looking forward to the challenge. I want to play and I think this challenge will help me develop as a player. “I’ve spoken to José Mourinho and I am quite flexible. I can play at the back of midfield or at the front of midfield and José knows my strengths and the goals I score from midfield positions.” In his four years at Bayern Munich and during his 63 appearances for the German national side, Ballack is averaging around one goal every two games. His first face-to-face with the English media as a Chelsea player was one of many first time meetings he made before jetting off to join his national team’s World Cup preparations. Many were conducted through an interpreter but that was not the case when Ballack greeted Roman Abramovich. Having been brought up in old Eastern Bloc Germany, he has an advantage. “My first words were in Russian,” he admitted. “In school, my first language was Russian and I know a few words from this time. He understood it and smiled.” by Paul Mason