MIKEL AND MOURINHO
John Mikel Obi has backed his former manager Jose Mourinho to
add to his haul of medals at Manchester United, claiming the Portuguese has
lost none of his magic.
The former Chelsea boss has been the subject of negative
press in the past 12 months owing to the manner in which the Blues surrendered
their Premier League title, prompting his departure last December.
And Mourinho has made a rather underwhelming start to his
tenure at Old Trafford, with United widely criticised for the negative tactics
used in the 0-0 draw at Liverpool last Monday night.
But Mikel, who has been at Chelsea for both of Mourinho's
spells at Stamford Bridge, feels the criticism has been unwarranted and claims
the 53-year-old will emphatically answer his detractors.
'I have no doubts - he hasn't lost any of his magic, not at
all,' Mikel told the Evening Standard.
'When people start to question his qualities, he loves to
prove a point, he thrives on it. He always wants to show people are wrong.
'I think he will bring Manchester United back to where Sir
Alex Ferguson left them [as title winners in 2013] but he needs time. He is
like an architect, he likes to build.
'Jose doesn't always win the title in the first season —
just look at Real Madrid or his second spell at Chelsea. Yes, he wants to win
from the get-go but in the first year he gets to know how the club work,
installs his formation and the way he wants the team to play.
'I'm not writing United off this season either but give him
two to three years and he will definitely win big trophies at Old Trafford.'
Mourinho will return to Chelsea on Sunday, to the club with
whom he won three Premier League titles during two spells - but he is not
expecting any pleasantries from a side who have won back-to-back games to get
their title hopes back on track.
Mikel was signed by Mourinho in 2006 and despite talk of
unrest in the dressing room towards the end of his second stint, the Nigerian
says relations between the playing staff and their former manager remained
cordial.
'From what I know, he didn't leave on bad terms with any player,'
added Mikel, who is yet to make an appearance this season with N'Golo Kante and
Nemanja Matic preferred in midfield.
'I don't see why everyone isn't going to shake his hand
beforehand on Sunday and, hopefully, afterwards, too. I never saw him fall out with anyone at
the training ground or have an argument. If it happened I didn't know about it.
'With Jose we tried everything to change the results and
what was happening on the pitch. It was like a perfect storm. Everything that
could go wrong was going wrong.
'But it was always great to work with him. It is because of
him that I am the player and man I am today. He brought me to light, he fought
to bring me to Chelsea from Manchester United. I will always be grateful to him
for what he's done for me.'
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