By Jonathan Wilson Mar 15, 2010, 8:44 GMT
London - Humility doesn't come easily to Jose Mourinho, but he has been in unusually reserved form ahead of his return to Chelsea in the Champions League on Tuesday.
The Inter Milan coach led Chelsea to two Premier League titles in a little over three seasons in England, and clearly still feels considerable affection for the club.
The present Chelsea side, as he pointed out before the first leg, still has a core who played under him, and Mourinho remains hugely popular with the Stamford Bridge crowd.
In fact, they are likely to sing his name - an honour they are yet to afford the present manager Carlo Ancelotti, who had his own run-ins with Mourinho while manager of AC Milan.
Mourinho admitted he would feel emotional when taking his place in the technical area.
'The good thing is that I don't have far to walk,' he told uefa.com. 'From the dressing room to the bench is five metres.
'I don't have to cross the stadium, I don't have to feel the emotions and reactions from the crowd. I will just sit there and play my game.
'The players play on the pitch, I play outside. They are much more important than me, because on the pitch you win matches, not on the bench.
'But I will be there with my heart fully on either side. That's what a professional does. I don't hide that Chelsea are a very important part of my life.'
Ancelotti is delighted by the way Chelsea have bounced back from defeat to Manchester City to beat Stoke City in the FA Cup and then West Ham United in the league, and insists he isn't concerned by the hype surrounding Mourinho's return.
'It won't be difficult for the fans,' he said. 'Before the game Mourinho will have a very good reception but after that Chelsea fans are Chelsea fans.
'I don't have a problem with Mourinho. I have never had a problem with him.'
Ancelotti is considered a Champions League expert having won the tournament twice with AC Milan, while Mourinho's one failing with Chelsea was that he didn't add to the Champions League victory he had won with Porto in 2004.
'There is no advantage because it's a game between Chelsea and Inter, not me against Mourinho,' said Ancelotti, whose side has to overturn a 2-1 deficit from the first leg.
'It's a game that will be a fantastic one. We want to show our best. I think if Chelsea play at their best we win.'
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