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Jose Mourinho: Call me 'The Calm One' now, with more control of my emotions

Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has told France Football that a new-found maturity and control of his emotions has made him a better manager, and he no longer obsesses over results as he did earlier in his career.

Mourinho has been in trouble with the Football Association on several occasions already this season, following incidents that took place in games against West Ham, Liverpool and Burnley.

Long nicknamed "The Special One," Mourinho, when asked what he has become since taking over United, replied: "I would say, 'The Calm One.'

"Everyone expected me to be a problem. But the only problem I've had up till now is when I kicked a bottle of water in front of me [against West Ham in reaction to Pogba being booked]. I was sent to the stand and had to pay a fine for that.

"That's my problem: when I'm a little bit frustrated, I kick bottles. But it's my only outburst since my arrival eight months ago. So, I have become 'The Calm One.' Having said that, perhaps tomorrow I'll get sent off."

The United boss also said he remains as ambitious as ever in his pursuit of success, but he is now able "transmit" calm to his squad.

"Mourinho the man tries to be the opposite of what the manager is," he said. "He tries to be discreet, calm. Find a way to disconnect.

"I can go home and not watch a football game, not think about football. I can do it. At the beginning of my career, I could not. I was constantly connected, 24 hours a day. I had to find a form of maturity.

"Today, I feel good with my personality as a man. I have matured, I am more peaceful. A victory no longer represents the moon, and a defeat hell.

"I believe that I am able to transmit this serenity to those who work with me, to my players. I have the same ambitions as before. The same involvement, the same professionalism, but I'm more in control of my emotions."

Mourinho does not believe he will be able to return United to the dominant success they enjoyed under Sir Alex Ferguson -- when they won 13 Premier League titles in 21 seasons -- saying that there are too many competitive teams for one club to have sustained success like in other countries.

"In England, clubs are so economically powerful that the market is open to all," he added. "Take the example of Bayern in Germany. You know how they win the title every year? The summer before, they buy the best player of Borussia Dortmund. [Mario] Gotze, then [Robert] Lewandowski the following year, then [Mats] Hummels last year.

"Me, I arrive at a club that has a great and prestigious history, but which can no longer do what it has been doing in the same way.

"No club in England, be it Manchester United, Liverpool, Manchester City, can now dominate permanently. Power has been divided. Everything is more difficult: buying, winning, building."

Still, Mourinho says his success as a manager at Manchester United will depend on his ability to adapt to new situations.

"You have to adapt to the reality of the club, its needs, its demands. That's called 'being intelligent,'" he said. "The priority is to establish peaceful and loving relationships in a squad, to create stability.

"Manchester United doesn't have great personalities like [Ryan] Giggs, [Paul] Scholes or Roy Keane any more. There's still [Wayne] Rooney and [Michael] Carrick, the last faces of that generation, and a new group of players who have to adapt.

"That's why it was important for me to bring in Zlatan [Ibrahimovic]. In this team, he had -- without being English, without knowing the culture of the club -- the personality and the profile to be more than just a player."