There was no celebratory run down the touchline, no dancing on the pitch, just a sober reflection of a job well done from Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho on Sunday (3 May) after his side beat Crystal Palace to win the Premier League title.
A 1-0 victory, sealed by Eden Hazards goal on the stroke of halftime, meant Mourinho added a third league title to the two he won for Chelsea during his previous reign.
Despite his deadpan demeanour, there was no doubting his pride as Mourinho once again proved himself master of what he calls the most difficult league in Europe.
When you work so hard and you are champions you feel you got what you deserved, Mourinho, who left in 2007 after falling out with owner Roman Abramovich but returned in 2013, told reporters.
Thats good feeling for me, its maybe a special feeling because Im not the smartest guy to choose countries and clubs. I could choose another club in another country where to be champion it is easier, but I chose the most difficult league in Europe. I choose a club where I was happy before. In my country, they say a lot dont go back somewhere you were happy before because you risk what you did before. So I risk and I am so, so, so happy because I won another Premier League title.
It was hardly a footballing classic on Sunday and Chelseas twitchiness extended to goalscorer Hazard, who fluffed his penalty – a feeble effort parried by goalkeeper Julian Speroni – only to head in the rebound.
While the title was claimed with a low-key victory, Mourinho said his teams reliability since the turn of the year had been rewarded, even if critics have called their style boring.
We do everything that a team needs so that is why we are champions and we deserve so much to be champions and I think everybody knows that. And the ones who have a big face to say we dont deserve are the ones in my country we say the dogs bark and the caravan goes by. It is easy to be a pundit. Because as a pundit, you win every game. You dont lose matches as a pundit. Fantastic job, really. Maybe in 10 years time, its my job. Then I win every game. Now, as a manager, I lose sometimes and its a much more difficult job.
Mourinho chose to leave the celebrations of his third Premier League title with the London side to his players, and staff produced a box of hats and scarves for the team to don while they danced around the pitch to the strains of London band Madness and the 1970s club anthem Blue is the Colour.
I was champion in every club I coached, he added. Porto, Inter (Milan) , Chelsea, Real Madrid and Chelsea again. Every title was important for different reasons. To win the title in Spain with 100 points against the best Barcelona ever was a big achievement that I enjoyed so much. But maybe in the future I have to be smarter and choose another country, another club where everybody is champions, even the kit man coaching is champion in some countries. May be I need to be smarter but I still enjoy these difficulties, I still enjoy to be tired after a very difficult match.
As to his future, Mourinho said he would remain at Chelsea as long as the owner – Roman Abramovich – wanted him.
I stay here until Mr Abramovich wants me to stay, he said. The day he tells me to go, I go.
He is the man who won every title at Chelsea - some players did some, others did others. Some managers did some, some managers did others. Mr Abramovich is the only man who won every title. If he has replicas, he needs a big house.
