Chelsea vs Liverpool: Steven Gerrard made Jose Mourinho 'a better manager'

The Chelsea manager tried to sign the Liverpool skipper three times

Jose Mourinho and Steven Gerrard (GETTY IMAGES)

Jose Mourinho has hailed Steven Gerrard as his “dear enemy” and “the one who made me a better manager” as he prepares to face the Liverpool captain for probably the final time.

Champions Chelsea host Liverpool on Sunday, after which Gerrard will have only two games before he leaves his only club for LA Galaxy. Mourinho made clear yesterday how much he respected Gerrard.

“It’s my time to honour Steven Gerrard and say with opponents like him that I am the manager I am,” Mourinho said. “I learn with my best opponents, with the problems they give me and the way they make me think and analyse them and study how to play against them.

“Steven Gerrard is, for sure, one of my favourite enemies and my dear enemy, the one who made me a better manager. To stop him or try to stop him has been very difficult. I need people like him to make me a better coach.”

Mourinho explained how he tried to sign Gerrard twice for Chelsea as well as at Internazionale and Real Madrid.

Gerrard nearly joined Chelsea in 2005 but Mourinho revealed he said it was his “red heart” which stopped him. “It was difficult [for him] to [move],” Mourinho said. “He wanted to do it from the view of football reasons, but he couldn’t.”

That would have paired Gerrard with Frank Lampard, which Mourinho said he could have made work, even if England couldn’t. “They were the two best No 8s in Europe from 2004 to 2012,” he said.

Steven Gerrard (left) and Frank Lampard (GETTY IMAGES)

Mourinho added that he would like to keep Petr Cech at Chelsea next season, even against the keeper’s will, but admitted it was not his decision. “If it was my decision, the decision is Petr to stay,” he said. “The club needs two very good goalkeepers. Without Petr this season I don’t think the club would be champions. One thing is Jose Mourinho, and another is Mr Abramovich and another is the board.”