Mourinho on that everlasting Chelsea bond and the yearning for silverware that never dies

The court of King Mourinho : Picture by @YTJourno

We waited around 45 minutes after the final whistle for Enzo Maresca to emerge for the post-match press conference. And there was a collective sigh of impatience when we saw it was the Chelsea boss coming through the door.

It was no slight on the Italian and yes, we didn't mind hearing what he had to say about Chelsea's 1-0 win over Benfica to kick-start their Champions League campaign, but he was never going to be the main event.

Stamford Bridge's press room remains the court of Jose Mourinho some 20 years after he first pitched up there as the new Blues boss having just won this very same competition with Porto.

The suspicion these days is that the serial winner, if not exactly a busted flush, is entering a far less prolific endgame to an illustrious career. The moves from club to club have still seen him pick up a trophy or two - at Man United and at Roma - but spells at Spurs and more recently in Turkey with Fenerbahce, have suggested a fading of what was once the brightest star in the footballing firmament.

That is not how Mourinho sees it, however, and the fire still burns, he insists. When asked whether the night's loving reception he received from Chelsea fans would live with him, his answer was typically unequivocal.

"Yes [it was nice], but I don't feed myself with these memories, I feed myself with victories and [good] results," he said.

"Of course, I thank them. I did it on the pitch. Of course I was focused on the game, but you have always a little difference of the sound and of course I thank them. I live around here and when I am in London, I meet them every day on the streets.

"I know that it's going to be a relation for ever. Hopefully, I come back here in 20 years with my kids and my grandkids. They belong to my history and I belong to their history.

"But the desire now is bigger, it's bigger. It's bigger because when I came here nobody was expecting anything from me. Remember there were lots of question marks: Is he going to do it, not to do it? But my career took me to a position where everybody thinks that I have magic to make things happen.

"I left Man United after winning things. I left Tottenham after taking the club to a final. I left Roma after two European finals - because with me it's never enough, it's never enough.

"So if I am in a job it's because I like to put myself on the line every day. I have a fantastic family but they know how I am and they push me outside because they know I need to work and I'm desperate to win the next match - that's the nature of the thing."

As for the game itself, Mourinho declared himself satisfied with his team and made a point of saying Chelsea's resources - and added strength in depth - were always going to make it tough for his side. "The team was very stable. Was very confident and was permanently pushing and pushing and pushing," he said.

"I'm there for 10 days. I played four matches in 10 days with not much training and today, I'm really happy. The performance I like very much."