Jose Mourinho has fired a warning to Thomas Tuchel that he will have no excuses if he fails to turn Chelsea into a title-winning team and believes he has an ‘easy’ job at the club.
The Tottenham boss won three Premier League titles during his two spells at Stamford Bridge, helping mastermind the end of the dominance which was enjoyed by Arsenal and Manchester United.
‘I don’t think it’s very difficult to coach at Chelsea because I was champion three times, (Carlo) Ancelotti was champion, Antonio Conte was champion,’ he said ahead of Thursday’s London derby.
‘It cannot be very, very difficult because we win titles there. I believe Chelsea always has great players and great squads and good coaches are happy to work with these clubs and with players that give you a very good opportunity to be successful and to win titles.
‘Then I understand your question, and of course a coach needs time and needs stability and is a very good thing to feel stability.
‘I’m not saying stability helps you sleep, I’m saying that stability gives you a different way of thinking and you are not just thinking about today, you are also thinking about tomorrow, you are also thinking the future.
‘That’s the way it is. It’s Mr Abramovich’s club and you have to understand that it’s up to him to make his decisions.
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‘In my case, I was there in two different periods and I was champion in two different periods and I’m very happy to have been there before and have that opportunity.’
Tuchel has made a good start to his reign, collecting four points from two home matches against Burnley and Wolves.
The visit to the Tottenham will represent Tuchel’s first major test since replacing Lampard, although Mourinho’s team have been out of sorts recently, winning only one of their last four league games.
Spurs will be without Harry Kane, who damaged both ankles against Liverpool last week, but Mourinho is confident the striker is set for an imminent return.