Jose Mourinho has told Carlo Ancelotti to ‘go and win’ the Champions League final against Liverpool.
Mourinho’s Roma side qualified for the first ever Europa Conference League final by beating Leicester City last night. Speaking to Sky Italia via The Daily Mail after the game, Mourinho took a moment to wish the Real Madrid boss the best of luck against Liverpool.
“‘If you allow me a message for a coach who is my friend, the great Carletto (Ancelotti), let’s both go and win the finals,” said the 59-year-old.
It may have been that the ever-charming Mourinho was simply pandering to the Italian press. Either way, public messages from a high profile figure like the Roma boss will no doubt only energise Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp.
Old guard sticking together
You have to take your hat off to Carlo Ancelotti. After his spell at Napoli ended in 2019, he looked like he might be a spent force at the top of European football.
His baffling 18-month spell at Everton didn’t do anything to dispel that notion either.
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But he was given an unlikely chance to re-take the reigns at Real Madrid last summer. Since then, he has shown that he still a brilliant coach.
The game with Liverpool will be the 62-year-old’s fifth Champions League final – a record for a manager. Fascinatingly, three of those finals have now been against The Reds.
Jurgen Klopp for his part will be taking part in his fourth such final.
Mourinho’s star wanes
As for Mourinho, he seems to be painting his redemption as a similar tale to Ancelotti’s. The two men were undisputedly among the best managers in the world in the early 2000’s but have since been overtaken by the likes of Klopp and Pep Guardiola.
Last night Mourinho became the first manager to lead a club to the final of all three current European competitions. For all his bluster though, the achievement only goes to show how far he has fallen from Europe’s top table.
After failing to qualify for the Champions League this season, he will once again be absent from the top table next year.