11 months at Manchester United wasn't waste of time: Jose Mourinho

Mourinho starts his tenure at a third English club after grossly different experiences at Chelsea and Manchester United hoping to inspire Tottenham's first away win in the league since January. 
Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho during a press conference. (Photo | Spurs Twitter)
Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho during a press conference. (Photo | Spurs Twitter)

LONDON: Jose Mourinho starts his tenure at a third English club after grossly different experiences at Chelsea and Manchester United hoping to inspire Tottenham's first away win in the league since January at West Ham on Saturday.

However, he is adamant not to make the same mistakes he made at Old Trafford. The Portuguese is in need of a project that will rebuild his reputation after an unhappy two-and-a-half years at Manchester United.

"In the short term we have to try to get results," said Mourinho on Thursday.

"It is important in the Premier League we need to disappear from the area where we do not belong.

Spurs start the weekend 11 points adrift of the top four having taken just 25 points from their last 24 Premier League matches.

Mourinho has spent 11 months out of the game since being sacked by United in December.

And he cut a far more introspective figure as he briefed the media on Thursday than the man who announced himself as "the special one" during his first press conference as Chelsea manager 15 years ago.

"I always thought that these 11 months were not a waste of time. These 11 months were months to think, to analyse, to prepare and anticipate things," added Mourinho.

"I had time to think about many things. Don't ask me what are the mistakes, but I realise that during my career I made mistakes. I am not going to make the same mistakes, I am going to make new mistakes.

"From an emotional point of view I'm relaxed, I'm motivated, I'm ready and I think the players they felt that in these two days.

"They felt that I'm ready. I'm ready to support them. This is not about me. In your career but also in your life, you go through moments and periods and I am in a period where it's not about myself at all.

It's about my club, my club's fans, my players."

Even if Mourinho claims to be a changed man, his reputation precedes him.

There was no love lost in many clashes with Tottenham in his Chelsea days and that allied to the joy Pochettino brought the Spurs fanbase leaves many unconvinced this managerial change is one for the better.

In his glory days at Chelsea, Porto, Inter and early in his spell at Real Madrid, Mourinho could always rely on results to win over the doubters.

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