Manager Frank Lampard admitted Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho had a huge impact on his career as a footballer.
The Derby boss served under Mourinho at Chelsea where the pair were hugely successful, especially in his first era with the club.
They won two Premier League titles, an FA Cup and two League Cups in a three-year spell, and Lampard admitted Mourinho improved him both on and off the field.
“He was great and hugely influential for me and my era at Chelsea,” he told RamsTV. “John Terry, Didier Drogba, Ashley Cole would all say the same. He came in with a real confidence in himself which transmitted onto the pitch, he was very forward thinking in his coaching and I loved it.
“Probably more than tactically, but mentally, he upped my game. He made me feel good as a person and a player and that was a huge influence on me so I’ve got complete respect for him for that.
“The rest of it speaks for itself, his record of winning in any country at every level right at the top is special. I was honoured to play under lots of managers and I will also speak highly of Jose Mourinho and what he did for me because he was a turning point in my career and really kicked it on.”
The pair won the League Cup in Mourinho’s first season at Stamford Bridge, his first domestic trophy in England. Since then, the Red Devils boss has won the competition four times and is a competition he has always taken seriously.
“It was a catalyst for success for us,” Lampard commented. “We won it in 2005 and went on to win the league in his first year. We always tried to win it, like all big clubs should do, and Manchester United are certainly a big club. When I say that, I think they will have complete focus on it.
“There might be some rotation but whatever that is then it will be like for like. They have two players in every position that are top class so if he changes, or if he doesn’t, then no matter what way, he will want to win the competition.
“I appreciate that he is going to go for it and we will. I wouldn’t want it any other way. Whatever my selection is will be dedicated to go and win and so will they and that’s the modern day.
“We talk about the Premier League, they have big squads for a reason because they want to challenge on all fronts and win silverware. It’s good for us to go there and know we are playing against a good Manchester United team and we need to show what we have got.
“To win the game is going to be very difficult but if we can make a real good go of it and compete, we have a good opportunity to get a result. We must go there to compete, we must stand up and show that we can compete on the big stage.”
And to line up against his former boss in the opposition dugout?
“It will be special,” he admitted. “The game will be the same. Going to Old Trafford is a huge occasion not just for me but for the squad, the club and the fans that travel there. On a personal note it’s nice to go up against him.
“We will have a chat before and after the game and we’ll do our best in the game as always. I wouldn’t have pictured it when I was 25 and he first came to Chelsea, to jump forward 15 years and be in the dugout across from him as a manager is a strange scenario but it’s the reality of football and the strange things that it does. It will be a pleasure to go up against him.”
In previous rounds of the competition, Lampard has made changes to his starting 11, however, he admits he still doesn’t know how his side are going to line up.
“We have some options and we will see,” he said. “I will manage it on the players today. We had a big game at the weekend, a lot of minutes and energy used so I’m still reflecting on what the team and squad will be.”
