Mourinho: Pressure on big-spending rivals
The pressure is off us, says Jose
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Tuesday, 19, Jun 2007 09:02
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho says the pressure to win next season's Premiership title will be on the club's rivals because they will have spent more money this summer.
The Blues have been unusually thrifty so far, signing three players - Steve Sidwell, Claudio Pizarro and Tal Ben Haim - without shelling out a single penny on transfer fees.
Meanwhile Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson - who pipped Mourinho to the league last season for the first time since his arrival in England - have already made signings worth an estimated £50 million.
Portuguese youngster Nani has joined from Sporting Lisbon for £17 million and Brazilian playmaker Anderson reportedly cost a similar fee from Porto, while Owen Hargreaves also completed his long-awaited move from Bayern Munich.
And Mourinho believes United flexing their financial muscle will heap the pressure on them in the same way that Chelsea were expected to win every trophy last season after spending millions on big-name players like Andriy Shevchenko.
"People ask Chelsea: 'Last season you won two trophies; why did you not win four?' But not many journalists ask Rafael Benitez and Arsene Wenger: 'Why zero?' And not many people ask Manchester United: 'Why only the Premiership?'," the Portuguese tactician told the club's official magazine.
"Is it about money? If it is, I hope that next season the media put pressure on the big spenders because the big spenders for sure will not be Chelsea.
"The spenders will be Liverpool, Manchester United, Tottenham and maybe Arsenal.
"So maybe at the beginning of next season they will say that Chelsea are not the favourites any more because the club did not spend so much money."