Mourinho back and 'better'

Europa League champions Chelsea, under the guidance of new coach but familiar face Jose Mourinho, got a huge welcome as they returned to the Kingdom for the second time in three years yesterday.

Despite the absence of star players like Spaniards Fernando Torres and Juan Mata, the Blues were welcomed by thousands of their followers outside Siriraj Hospital, where their Portuguese manager along with team captain John Terry and vice captain Frank Lampard paid tribute to the monarchy by placing flowers at the portraits of Their Majesties the King and Queen.

The 50-year-old Mourinho, who is back in charge after his first stint with the Blues, from 2004 to 2007, said the fans’ warm reception had been an inspiration after the long journey.

“We just arrived but the feeling was so good. The moment we landed, people were very nice to us. We feel the big reception for our club. We hope we can give the people here what they are expecting from us. We will work hard to present a good football match,” said the self-dubbed Special One, who led Chelsea to back-to-back Premier League titles in 2005 and 2006 and an FA Cup win in 2007.

A mass of die-hard fans split up to welcome the Blues at three spots, Suvarnabhumi Aiport, their team hotel (the Shangri-La) and Siriraj Hospital, where the crowd was biggest. Spirits were high despite the absence of high-profile stars Torres, Mata, Oscar, David Luiz and John Obi Mikel, all still on a break following their exploits in the Confederations Cup.

The Londoners will play the Singha All Stars for the Singha 80th Anniversary Cup at Rajamangala National Stadium on Wednesday at 8pm, three days after today’s game at the same venue featuring the All Stars against Premier League champions Manchester United.

Asked by a reporter about the possibility of Chelsea buying Wayne Rooney, Mourinho said:” He is a player that I like very, very much, but I cannot say more than that. I like him very much but he’s a United player.”

The Blues manager, who has signed three players – keeper Mark Schwarzer, Marco van Ginkel and Andre Schurrle – since returning to Stamford Bridge, also said he was in a better position with the team than nine years ago.

“My job is a job in which experience means a lot. After my [first] period with Chelsea I went around Europe – two years in Italy, three years in Spain. So I have more experience than before. I see some white hairs on my head, which in my case is a good sign because it means I’m better now than before. Goalkeeper Peter Cech, who was on Chelsea’s last trip to Thailand when Andre Villas-Boas was manager, was happy to be back and hoping to maintain the Blues’ supremacy in Thai tournaments.

“Every time we come over here we can see that people [here] love football. We feel very comfortable here. We feel the support everywhere we go. We are glad to be preparing for the [EPL] season here and hope to play a good game. The last time we were here, we won the big cup. If we can do the same [this time] it will be good.”

New signing Andre Schurrle of Germany was excited to be getting his first taste of Thailand. “It’s the first time I have been here. 

It’s my first tour with the team, so I’m excited to see the fans. Hopefully we will play a good match and enjoy the trip.

Chelsea will have a meet & greet event with fans tomorrow, then lead a football clinic for local youngsters on Monday before their match on Wednesday.