Mourinho a Klinsmann fan
ByReuters
Published 14/03/2006 at 11:23 GMT
Germany coach Juergen Klinsmann, under fire for poor results and his decision to keep living in the United States, has received support from Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho. "I am a Klinsmann fan", the outspoken Portuguese told German paper Das Bild.
FOOTBALL 2006 World Cup Jürgen Klinsmann
Image credit: dpa
"I admire him for his courage. He's got a strong personality. He believes in young talent and promotes players like (Robert) Huth, (Bastian) Schweinsteiger, (Lukas) Podolski and (Philipp) Lahm. And he doesn't change his ideas just because he loses a game. That's great."
The Portuguese coach said he regularly spoke to Klinsmann over the phone, notably to talk about Chelsea's German international defender Huth.
Klinsmann, under scrutiny since a 4-1 friendly defeat by Italy on March 1, has also faced criticism for his decision to remain based in the U.S. instead of moving back to Germany.
In the interview, Mourinho also talked about his own future, saying: "I will definitely coach Portugal one day."
The 43-year-old did not rule out a job in the Bundesliga. "I could imagine coaching Bayern Munich but they should give me a year's notice so I can learn German," he said.
In the first part of the interview published on Monday, the Chelsea manager, who was in Germany at the weekend, had said he would love Germany captain Michael Ballack to join the English champions.
/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2006/02/22/255460-24540545-2560-1440.jpg)
FOOTBALL 2005-2006 UEFA Champions League Chelsea-Barcelona Mourinho
Image credit: EFE
Ballack's contract with Bayern Munich expires at the end of the season. The 29-year-old midfielder's agent has said he was very interested in a move to Chelsea.
The Kaiser slams Klinsmann
Scan me
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement