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José Mourinho: Arsenal will not win the Champions League this season
• Arsenal not on Mourinho's list of potential winners
• Real manager says he is no longer 'obsessed' by winning titles
José Mourinho does not believe Arsenal are capable of winning the Champions League this season. The Real Madrid coach, speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport, said he thought only seven clubs have a chance of winning European football's premier competition – and Arsène Wenger's team were not among them.
He listed his own side, Real Madrid, among the potential winners along with Barcelona, Internazionale, Milan, Chelsea, Manchester United and last season's runners-up Bayern Munich. "One of these will win," he said. "There could be a surprise like Lyon in the semi-finals last season, maybe Roma, Arsenal, Tottenham or Benfica but it's difficult."
The former Chelsea manager also said he is no longer "obsessed" with winning titles, which might be a good thing since his Real Madrid side could be hard-pressed to challenge Barcelona for the Liga title.
Real opened with a scoreless draw at Mallorca in Mourinho's Spanish league debut last weekend, while the title favourites Barcelona started with a 3-0 win at Racing Santander.
"Barça are a finished product. They could add a name or an idea but that's just perfecting things. At Real there's a feeling of uncertainty and doubts about continuity. In just a few years there have been [Fabio] Capello, [Bernd] Schuster, [Juande] Ramos, [Manuel] Pellegrini and me. You need stability," he said.
"Luckily I'm not obsessed by titles now," the Portuguese coach added. "If I did, I would have stayed at Inter with six competitions available. I would have won three and my career would have been gratified. In Spain I have three competitions and in two of them the Spanish league and the Copa del Rey Barça are the team to beat."
Mourinho added that he still speaks with the Inter president Massimo Moratti weekly, despite bidding the Italian club a teary goodbye after leading it to a treble last season, capped by Inter's first European Cup in 45 years. "We're friends," Mourinho said. "I'm part of his history and he's part of mine."
Marcus Christensonguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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