London (AFP)

After "The Special One", "The Humble One"? Back on a bench in Tottenham, after a long break without training, José Mourinho will not make "the same mistakes" with the London club he wants to raise without disrupting the workforce.

"I'm stronger, I do not feel more sharp, I've always been, but I'm stronger from an emotional point of view," said the Portuguese, whose arrival on the bench of Spurs, officialized Wednesday , should allow to revive the London team, 14th in the Championship of England.

The Lusitanian technician, 56, who succeeds Argentina's Mauricio Pochettino, sacked on Tuesday, has nevertheless warned that he did not plan to win the Premier League this season.

"But we can win it next season," he promised, assuring that he was not considering big changes to the winter transfer window.

"The potential of the club is huge and that of the players is great," said the technician. "I'm happy with the players I have, I just need to understand them better, to know everything about them," he continued, saying "humble".

"I have always been humble, in my own way.The problem is that you have not understood," insisted the Portuguese during his first press conference at the head of the Spurs.

The speech contrasts with the one pronounced fifteen years ago in London where the Portuguese technician spoke of him in the third person and considered himself a "top manager", a "special one". Mourinho then discovered the Premier League by putting his suitcases in Chelsea, crowned by a triumph in the Champions League with FC Porto.

The situation has changed in November 2019. The "Mou" is back to business after eleven sabbatical months during which he impatiently waited for a new challenge.

- "very positive break" -

At Manchester United, the coach's last experience with the 25 trophies was mixed. So much so that he had not held two years. Under his leadership, the "Red Devils" had certainly won the Europa League and League Cup in 2017 but failed to play the leading roles in the league.

Mourinho, who also played for Inter Milan and Real Madrid, admitted to making "mistakes" during his career. "I will not do the same again, I will do more," he added, "convinced" to have made "a great choice" by taking up the challenge proposed by Tottenham.

For the Portuguese, this period without coaching was "not a waste of time".

"These (eleven) months have allowed me to think, analyze and prepare (continued)," said the one who guided Porto and Inter Milan to the title in C1, respectively in 2004 and 2010. " I even learned to become a consultant, "added the smiling one who will receive an estimated salary, by the English press, to 17.5 million euros gross annual.

Titled with all the big clubs where he went, Mourinho admitted that it was not "easy" for him to live his first summer without a club. "During pre-season preparation, I felt a little lost" but "having this break was very positive for me," he explained.

The "Mou" obviously had time to step back.

© 2019 AFP