‘little Magpie’ José Mourinho Relishing Taking Benfica To Newcastle | Louise Taylor

To José Mourinho Newcastle United represents a roadworthy ne'er taken. Whenever Mourinho visits St James’ Park he takes clip to guidelines by nan statue of Sir Bobby Robson extracurricular nan Milburn Stand and walk a fewer minutes paying silent tribute to nan representation of his mentor.

In 1999 Robson wanted nan Portuguese to subordinate him astatine Newcastle arsenic adjunct head pinch a position to yet taking nan apical occupation but Mourinho, who returns to north-east England for a Champions League engagement pinch Benfica connected Tuesday night, declined.

Instead, Robson’s erstwhile translator turned No 2 astatine Barcelona, kicked disconnected his ain managerial escapade nan pursuing twelvemonth pinch a little spell astatine Benfica. Now,after a turbulent stint astatine Fenerbahce, nan instrumentality has turned afloat circle and he is backmost successful complaint astatine nan Estádio da Luz aft succeeding nan sacked Bruno Lage past month.

The lucifer connected Tuesday nighttime will beryllium nan 62-year-old’s 13th competitory quality connected Tyneside arsenic a head but erstwhile trips pinch Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham produced only 3 wins. How he would revel successful registering a 4th triumph astatine nan disbursal of a nine pinch which, acknowledgment to Robson, Mourinho has ever claimed to consciousness a unusual affinity.

“I’m a small Magpie,” he told interviewers successful Portugal past month. “The nine up location cognize really overmuch emotion and respect I person for them. I learned that from Mr Robson.”

Newcastle’s manager, Eddie Howe, was good alert that Mourinho, past unhappy successful Istanbul, cultivated friends relationships pinch nan club’s Saudi Arabian ownership past season. He would return peculiar delight successful beating Benfica.

Outwardly, though, Howe had thing but praise for nan Portuguese connected Monday agreeing that Mourinho was “one of nan each clip managerial greats”. The Newcastle head said: “I deliberation you person to opportunity that. Look, I’m not saying it conscionable because we’re playing them tomorrow. I genuinely believe. The effect he made initially successful this state astatine Chelsea was unthinkable really. He had an aura astir him and his teams. Coaching wise, he had a large effect connected me.”

Quite isolated from immoderate individual edge, Newcastle could do pinch confirming nan emotion that they really are overmuch amended than their Premier League position.

Benfica, 3rd successful nan Primeira Liga, should correspond a useful litmus test, peculiarly arsenic they look to beryllium improving nether Mourinho and secured a creditable 0-0 tie astatine table-topping Porto successful their past convention game. Now nan visitors dream to unafraid a first Champions League constituent – or, ideally, points – of nan campaign.

Mourinho, a Champions League victor pinch Porto and Inter, maintains Benfica are benefiting from a new, mature type of nan Special One. “People alteration for nan better,” he said. “I’m much altruistic, little ego-centric. I deliberation little astir myself and much astir nan bully I tin do for others, nan happiness I tin spread. I’m successful a mature shape of my career.”

Newcastle, meanwhile, are successful a somewhat transitional phase. If their caller £70m Germany striker Nick Woltemade has deed nan crushed running, Howe’s wingers person malfunctioned astatine times, pinch Anthony Elanga a £55m summertime singing from Nottingham Forest struggling to make nan desired impact.

“Anthony’s an outstanding player,” said Howe, who could beryllium without Sandro Tonali successful cardinal midfield connected Tuesday nighttime aft nan Italy world missed Monday training pinch a virus. “I’ve nary uncertainty astir Anthony’s qualities agelong term. But he’s going done a settling successful period. He’s having to make flimsy adjustments to his game. I deliberation he’s sewage a batch much to give.

“But I deliberation that, arsenic a team, we’re adjacent to becoming thing much and getting amended results. We’re disappointment but I don’t deliberation we’re acold away. We conscionable person to instrumentality to our beliefs. We’ve had immoderate really beardown performances; now we conscionable request nan results to beryllium it. We’re hopeless to scope nan knockout shape of nan Champions League.”