• Premier League

Mourinho swipes at Wenger again

Jose Mourinho says that he is a changed manager but his hostility towards Arsene Wenger remains firmly in tact after the Chelsea manager fired another barb at his Arsenal counterpart.

The Portuguese, who has again protested that he had no interest in succeeding Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, has renewed his battle with Wenger this season and, after branding the Frenchman 'a specialist in failure' and deepening their war of words, he has continued his criticism.

"We don't want a trophy for finishing second, third or fourth ... like some other guys want," Mourinho told The Sun. "We don't want that!

Jose: Moyes is still learning

Jose Mourinho says David Moyes will get better in time © Getty Images

• Jose Mourinho says David Moyes needs time to adapt to the size of the challenge of managing Manchester United.
• The Chelsea manager also insisted, not for the first time, that he was not interested in taking charge at Old Trafford when Sir Alex Ferguson retired last summer.
• Mourinho said: "David went to a new club -- a club with a new reality for him, a new dimension for him -- and he is adapting.
• Next season he will be better and attention, attention! He can still win the Champions League this season!
• "I spoke with Sir Alex when my Real Madrid team knocked United out of the Champions League last season and I told him what I wanted to do -- that Chelsea is what I wanted. So I don't know if Sir Alex thought of me for United or not -- that's not the point."

"I want my team to feel that there is only one champion and, if you finish second, you are not a champion!"

Wenger has championed his team's achievement in qualifying for the Champions League in 15 consecutive seasons and once claimed doing so was the equivalent of winning a trophy - something Arsenal haven't done since 2005.

Mourinho's most inflammatory attack on Wenger came during his last spell in charge at Chelsea when he claimed the Frenchman was a voyeur, in 2005.

The notorious remark was made during a period when the Portuguese cemented his reputation as one the most combative managers in the game.

But Mourinho has insisted he is a different man now. "I have learned a lot during the years, I have changed," he said, mindful of Chelsea's 1-0 defeat at Aston Villa a fortnight ago.

"I have changed for the better and I hope you agree. Ten years ago, I couldn't lose properly. Now, I can lose properly.

"And I was expecting my team to lose properly -- maybe because the opponent was better, because my goalkeeper made a big mistake, because we missed 10 chances or because the referee made one important mistake.

"All of that is part of the game and I know how to lose like that."

More defeats in the Premier League would likely rule out a title win for Mourinho in his first season back at Chelsea with, as he continues to claim, Manchester City favourites.

His team also face a tough Champions League quarter final against PSG - even if Demba Ba is not impressed by the French side - but the manager claims the campaign will have been a success even without silverware.

Mourinho said: "I win anyway because this is a special season for me and my Chelsea, even if we don't win anything.

"If we don't win and don't see any evolution, yes, OK, then that's bad. But I see evolution in the players, in the team, in the mentality, in the approach.

"To push to win the Premier League and to go from the Europa League to the last eight in the Champions League is an important step.

"It's a new feeling for a lot of the players and let's see what happens next."

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