Inter coach Jose Mourinho is preparing to take on Chelsea in the second-leg of their Champions League tie next week, holding a 2-1 advantage after a win at the Giuseppe Meazza.
The 47-year-old tactician spent three years in charge of the Blues, but insists that despite knowing it will be an emotional evening, only the Nerazzurri are his priority now.
"The good thing is I don't have to walk far, from the dressing room to the bench is only five metres. I won't have to cross the field and feel the emotions and reactions of the crowd," he explained in an interview with uefa.com.
"On the field are the players, not me. They are much more important than I, because the game is won on the pitch, not on the bench. But my heart will fully be on either side. That's what a professional should do, but I cannot hide that Chelsea was a very important part of my life."
Inter were eliminated from the competition at this stage last season after falling to Manchester United and the squad underwent several changes during the summer.
"If a coach does his duty and the club supports him, as is the case for me, you can always improve," he continued.
"We bought some players last year that we did not have, such as a pure attacking midfield creative player like Wesley Sneijder.
"Up front we have more solutions like [Diego] Milito, [Samuel] Eto'o, and [Goran] Pandev. Sure we lost Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but with these three players we have more solutions and more options. In addition, Lucio was the type of defender that we lacked.
"I think now the team is more suited to the modern game."
The 47-year-old tactician spent three years in charge of the Blues, but insists that despite knowing it will be an emotional evening, only the Nerazzurri are his priority now.
"The good thing is I don't have to walk far, from the dressing room to the bench is only five metres. I won't have to cross the field and feel the emotions and reactions of the crowd," he explained in an interview with uefa.com.
"On the field are the players, not me. They are much more important than I, because the game is won on the pitch, not on the bench. But my heart will fully be on either side. That's what a professional should do, but I cannot hide that Chelsea was a very important part of my life."
Inter were eliminated from the competition at this stage last season after falling to Manchester United and the squad underwent several changes during the summer.
"If a coach does his duty and the club supports him, as is the case for me, you can always improve," he continued.
"We bought some players last year that we did not have, such as a pure attacking midfield creative player like Wesley Sneijder.
"Up front we have more solutions like [Diego] Milito, [Samuel] Eto'o, and [Goran] Pandev. Sure we lost Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but with these three players we have more solutions and more options. In addition, Lucio was the type of defender that we lacked.
"I think now the team is more suited to the modern game."
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