Jose Mourinho says the heat is on big-spending Frank Lampard vs Spurs… but not like when he was Chelsea boss
JOSE MOURINHO says the heat is all on big-spending Frank Lampard ahead of their Stamford Bridge showdown tomorrow.
But the Tottenham boss insists it is still nothing like the pressure he faced while he was in charge of Chelsea.
Mourinho, who has also bossed Manchester United, Real Madrid and Inter Milan, said: “When I was in these clubs, there was huge pressure on me — and now there is not huge pressure on the coaches of these teams.”
Spurs start the weekend as shock Premier League leaders.
But Mourinho claims he feels no pressure, with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy having sanctioned a relatively paltry £69million on permanent signings last summer.
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This is in stark contrast to Chelsea, where rookie boss Lampard — who played under the Special One at the Bridge — is now expected to deliver trophies after they splashed out a staggering £230m on new buys.
Mourinho said: “When you are favourites, you know why you are favourites. And you have to accept that and you have to deal with that kind of pressure and responsibility.
“I was at clubs which were, let’s say, champions in the market because of the powerful investment in the market. I had to deal with that pressure.
“So now it’s not for me to deal with that pressure, it’s for others to deal with that pressure.
“We just want to try to win the next match.”
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Asked about Mourinho’s comments, Lampard said: “We all have pressures as managers, not just myself and Jose but any manager.
“Jose was here as a manager so he understands it very well. He also went to Manchester United and would have understood the pressures there very well when you spend a lot of money.
“The pressures at Tottenham will be big because Jose built a fantastic squad and has incredible players. We are both in the same position.
“We want success and people have expectations.”