Jose Mourinho, the manager of Roma, is looking forward to reuniting with Xabi Alonso, the manager of Bayer Leverkusen, when the two teams play on Thursday in the first leg of their Europa League semifinal. Between 2010 to 2013, Mourinho led Real Madrid as Alonso's manager. They shared the La Liga, Copa del Rey, and Spanish Super Cup victories. Alonso, who became the manager of Leverkusen in October of last year, is eager to take on Mourinho for the first time as a manager.
"I haven't seen him for a long time," said Mourinho. "We've always had a fantastic rapport, more than between a coach and a player."
"Of course, it's special for me to play against him," said the former Liverpool midfielder."I had a great time with him and I learned a lot from him. Mourinho knows how to inspire a team and he was always a leader. I'm looking forward to seeing him, but when the game starts I will be completely focused on the events on the pitch and I will dedicate all my energy exclusively to working wit h my team," he added.