Ivanovic calls Mourinho “perfect one” and praises new signings

People are fast running out of superlatives for Jose Mourinho. He described himself as “The Special One” on his arrival in England the first time around. Then, upon his return he said he was “The Happy One”. Now it seems he is “The Perfect One”, according to Branislav Ivanovic.

The Serbian defender, who joined Chelsea, 5/1 with Coral to win the Champions League this term, in 2008 has said the Portuguese manager jokes around in training to lighten the mood, though says he is the best at man management.

“They call him ‘The Special One’, but I like to refer to him as ‘The Perfect One’,” said Ivanovic. “His results speak for him. He is the most intelligent coach: he knows what he wants.

“He knows when to tighten up and when to loosen up. He knows what to demand from the team and from an individual player, and he knows how to deal with stress situations and to relax the atmosphere,” he continued. “It’s a pleasure and a privilege to work with him.”

Having come up just short in their pursuit of the Premier League title in Mourinho’s first season back, though currently unbeaten in all competitions, they look in good shape to achieve this at the very least in his second year.

Aided by January signing Nemanja Matic, plus summer recruits Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas, Chelsea have steered themselves into a fantastic position, and Ivanovic was quick to heap praise and recognition onto their new personnel, though is not surprised by the impact the latter two have made.

“I knew that they were top players, so I can’t say that they have been better than I expected,” he said of Costa and Fabregas. “They proved their class. They were key signings – with them, things clicked and the puzzle came together.

“Cesc with his pace, aggression and experience from Champions League, and Diego with his coolness in front of goal and his efficiency. They immediately made an impact.”