Jose Mourinho explains what keeps him motivated, how his leadership style has changed at Roma, but the one element that remains the same is ‘it’s all about strategy.’
The former Inter, Chelsea and Manchester United coach spoke to Sky Sports UK after leading the Giallorossi to their first ever European trophy, the Europa Conference League.
He begins his second season on the Roma bench from the weekend of August 14 and seems to have found a new lease of life being back in Italy.
“It is the nature of somebody who wants to be in football for many years. If you are not in love with football and you achieve everything there is to achieve in football, you just quit and you enjoy your medals. And you enjoy your life outside football.
“But if you love football, you do not want to stop. If you love football, you do not feel that you are getting older. You feel fresh, you feel young and that feeling goes until your last days. So, the motivation is part of the DNA.”
Mourinho has always been referred to as a great leader of his teams, yet that is not how he sees himself.
“Leadership means people have to follow you. And to follow you, they have to believe in you. Normally they believe in you if they feel empathy, if they feel honesty.
“In my personal case as a leader, what that means to me, means exactly the responsibility of not letting your people down. You have to be with them and for them, all the time. They have to trust you.
“I wouldn’t say I’m a natural leader. In fact, at a young age, I would say I was a silent leader. But my job doesn’t let me be a silent leader, which is my nature. I have to be in the public eye all the time, I have to communicate through media all the time and that makes a big difference.”
While outlining all the new technical advances in the game and his ever-growing staff, Mourinho still comes down to the basics.
“The key to success remains the same – it’s all about the strategy. You cannot predict everything, but the more prepared you are, the more you can put into the training.
“You can reduce that unpredictability and that gives the feeling of making your choices and decisions easier. You know that football games have some risk of course, but you have to try to reduce that risk by preparing the best you can.”
“My job doesn’t let me be a silent leader, which is my nature…” 👀
Roma boss Jose Mourinho reveals he’s not a ‘natural’ leader, in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports 🗣️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/GbpgHAVJzH
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) June 24, 2022
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