- Jose Mourinho names the best squad of players he has ever coached
- The Portuguese’s dream team was dominated by ex-Chelsea talents
- Manchester United fans should dread the trip to Anfield – Everything begins
Jose Mourinho has named the best ever squad from the players he has worked with in the past, and it is dominated by former Chelsea stars.
The Portuguese is currently Roma’s manager, but previously had two spells at Chelsea, Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Porto, Manchester United and Tottenham.
Mourinho left the Premier League two years ago after an unsuccessful spell at Spurs, before taking over at Roma on his return to management in Italy.
His coaching achievements include three English top flight titles, two Champions Leagues, one LaLiga title, four League Cups along with many other major accolades.
Having worked with some of the best talents in modern football, Mourinho has now revealed to Obi One Podcast who would he choose if he was building a dream team of players he has coached. Their full episode with Mourinho will air on Monday, December 18.
Surprisingly there are no players from Manchester United, Tottenham or Roma in his squad, while there is only room for three former Real Madrid players.
Mourinho teamed up with legendary Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas during his time in Spain but opted for Chelsea icon Petr Cech between the sticks.
The pair won three Premier League titles during their time at Stamford Bridge, with Cech claiming fame for a third time during his final year at the club before moving to Arsenal.
With a 4-3-3 formation, Mourinho selected three former Chelsea players in his defence, with William Gallas, John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho.
The absence of Sergio Ramos was the most glaring defender missing given the Spaniard’s outstanding achievements for both club and country.
Inter legend Javier Zanetti fills in at right-back in Mourinho’s side.
Mourinho was left with no options in midfield having coached Xabi Alonso, Deco and Wesley Sneijder, but again opted for an engine room dominated by Blues players.
Claude Makelele occupies the defensive midfield position, with England and Chelsea favorite Frank Lampard partnering him in the middle of the park.
Lampard shared an illustrious relationship with Mourinho during the pair’s time together in England as Chelsea enjoyed a period of dominance in the early 2000s when they were battling United for the Premier League.
Mesut Ozil was the other surprise for the midfield. Mourinho and the former Madrid and Arsenal midfielder had a strained relationship during their time together at the Santiago Bernabeu but have since made amends.
In attack, Zlatan Ibrahimovic would largely be expected to start up front, given Mourinho and the Swede worked together at both Inter and Manchester United, but Didier Drogba is preferred.
Drogba starred under Mourinho during two spells at Chelsea and is widely regarded as one of the club’s greatest strikers of all time given his outstanding goalscoring heroics.
He is flanked by Cristiano Ronaldo and Eden Hazard who both starred under Mourinho at Real Madrid and Chelsea respectively.