Jose Mourinho says winning the Champions League is not the result of ‘great work’ (Picture: AP)

Jose Mourinho has seemingly taken a subtle dig at ex-Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo after insisting that winning the Champions League is not the result of ‘great work’.

The Portuguese tactician – who made the comments on the eve of The Blues’ Champions League visit to Di Matteo’s current club Schalke on Tuesday – suggested Chelsea got lucky winning Europe’s elite competition under the Italian in 2012.

‘The Champions League – many, many times I say – is not the consequence of a great work,’ Mourinho said.

‘Sometimes, it is not. You can win the Champions League in the worst season. You can finish fifth [domestically] and win the Champions League. Liverpool did [finishing fifth in 2005] and Chelsea [finished sixth].

‘So the Champions League is something that you cannot say, “This is the direction I want to go because I win that competition.”‘

Roberto Di Matteo lifts the Champions League trophy as Chelsea manager
Roberto Di Matteo lifts the Champions League trophy as Chelsea interim manager (Picture: Getty)

Despite Di Matteo steering Chelsea to their first-ever Champions League triumph two years ago, Mourinho insisted he had also cemented his name in the club’s history after helping the west London outfit clinch back-to-back league titles.

‘A knockout competition is something that always has a big percentage of unpredictability. I can do nothing to win it, I can only work to improve my team all the time, make a very good team like we are doing,’ he said.

‘I did my history here and now I have the chance to make more history here and he was Chelsea manager and he did his history here.’

He added: ‘Don’t ask me to speak about him [Di Matteo].

‘The history is the history that he was on Chelsea’s bench when Chelsea won the Champions League. He is a historic name in this club. I have nothing more to say.’

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