LONDON -- Jose Mourinho says he "was not expecting" to see Frank Lampard in a Manchester City shirt after leaving Chelsea, but that he respects the player's decision.
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Lampard, 36, departed Stamford Bridge in the summer after 13 seasons to join New York City but, with the club not taking part in MLS until 2015, he signed a loan deal with Manchester City, who have a connection with the MLS side.
The midfielder could come up against his former club on Sunday when the Blues visit the Etihad Stadium, but Mourinho told a news conference on Friday: "It's football.
"If you'd said that four or five years ago, I would have said it was strange. Even a few months ago, when he signed for the New York team, I was not expecting this, but it was his decision. It's life.
"When he left for New York, I thought he was going there. But it's his life, his decision, and he has my respect for that."
Lampard may start for City against Chelsea this weekend as Manuel Pellegrini seeks to overturn a poor league record against Mourinho.
Chelsea did the double over the champions last season. City have been in stuttering form so far this campaign, but Mourinho did not think that makes it a good time to play them, instead putting the focus on his own side.
"It's always a good time to play the big teams," he said. "Against the big teams, my job is easier. I don't need to motivate people or ask them to be focused. The big teams make my work easier.
"Last season is last season. Statistics are statistics. They belong to history. What happened last year bears no relation to this season. Can we go there and win like we did last season? Obviously we can. But can we lose? Also, we can.
"It's one more game, it's three more points. But obviously, when matches are between title contenders, every point makes a difference. Arsenal v City, one point each, means nobody got three. So these matches, in the end, can be important. If you analyse just in a simple and pragmatic point of view, it's one game and three points. No more than that.
"We don't play against them. We play against 19 teams and, for the title, it's not just City. There are other teams in this race. It's not a situation of Chelsea or City, City or Chelsea. Other clubs have the same ambition. Last season we had the experience to win and lose there, so we know what that's like.
"I went through those matches to try and identify the differences between one game and the other -- I didn't do it with the players -- and that might help to explain why we were so strong in one game and not in the other."