Rodgers rose to prominence as a coach while working with the Chelsea academy during Mourinho's first stint at Stamford Bridge.
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The first leg of the Europa Conference League semifinals will see Jose Mourinho returning to England. The former Chelsea manager will bring his Roma side to take on Leicester City at the King Power Stadium. The clash will see Mourinho competing with Brendan Rodgers’ side once again. Over the years, Premier League fans have witnessed some epic clashes unfold between their respective teams. The Portuguese coach has managed the Blues on two occasions before having spells with Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.
On the other hand, Rodgers has been the manager of Swansea City, Liverpool and now Leicester City in the English top division. However, it is interesting to note that two tactical geniuses have worked together once, a long time ago. Rodgers rose to prominence as a coach while working with the Chelsea academy during Mourinho’s first stint at Stamford Bridge. The 49-year-old occupied the role of the head youth coach. After seeing Mourinho’s work from close proximity, it is no surprise that Rodgers holds him in high regard.
“Roma have got a great manager and fantastic players so we have to be at our best over two games to reach the final,” Rodgers said at his press conference. “There’s a lot been said about Jose Mourinho over many years. He is one of great managers and has nothing ever to prove to anyone. He is a winner and will always be a winner. And will only want to prove it to himself.
“He is such a special manager and one of the greats of our generation. When I was a young coach I looked at all managers I worked with and I would assimilate as much of their work and learn and study.”
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Brendan Rodgers then went down the memory lane, speaking about his time with Jose Mourinho at Chelsea. While describing the Portuguese coach, Rodgers explained how he has nothing but admiration for Mourinho.
“Jose, back in 2004 when I joined Chelsea, he had just joined in the summer, Jose was the guy everyone wanted to be like. Everything back then was all about the players but Jose came into the UK as a European champion and everyone wanted to be like Jose Mourinho. It gave young coaches hope they could have that charisma and quality,” he added.
“When people asked me about him, what’s he like? He just had the X factor. It wasn’t one single thing, he was brilliant in so many aspects. He was detail-oriented, his man-management with players, understanding of tactical adaptations in the game and how to promote it with players.
“He had a special quality that I was able to see in formative years and how could bring people along with him. I have nothing but admiration. I then became a manager in my own right and then it’s more distant as you are busy in work, but I’ll never forget what I gained as a young coach. I studied him and was in pole position for that time which was a special period at Chelsea.”
