Hazard and Schurrle almost ready to graduate with honors from Mourinho-zealot school

Every morning, my high school's principal would come to the microphone at the end of morning announcements and proudly repeat the same slogan he'd been drilling us with every day.  'There are two types of people in this world,' the PA system would blare, 'Warriors, and those who wish they were.'  It was hilariously banal, but, on occasion, oddly inspiring.  Yes, we are Warriors!  Tough and resilient and hear us roar, all you non-warrior losers.  Us against the World!

Mr. Weiss wasted his leadership potential on silly school spirit.  Like any strong personality, he inspired both devotion and hate.  Unlike Mourinho, Weiss inspired both in equal measure.  Jose is able to tilt that scale much more in his own favor.  For every Iker Casillas or Sergio Ramos, we get several times more Frank Lampards, Zlatan Ibrahimovices, Samuel Eto'os, Sami Khediras, or Didier Drogbas, just to name a few.  After all, there are two types of people in this world, Mourinho-zealots, and those who wish they were.

Two more names that we can add to the list of graduates from Mourinho-zealot school are Eden Hazard and Andre Schurrle.  It speaks to his leadership qualities as manager that he is able to inspire equal devotion from players at either end of the playing-time scale.

"When a person [like Mourinho] says good things about you, wants the best out of you, it's always a good thing. It shows that you're on the right track and that you still have a lot to accomplish, because talent is good but you can do better. It is up to me now to work hard in order to reach the best possible level, and that can be through training and games."

"It's not that he makes me improve or anything. He lets people do their own thing, he gives a lot of confidence to his players, he motivates us with small statements, small sentences in the newspapers or face to face. I think I am giving that back to him on the pitch. As I often say, I hope it will last."

-Eden Hazard; source: UEFA

May this last forever and a day, Eden.  And then some.

Meanwhile, despite playing fewer than 50% of undroppable Hazard's minutes, Andre Schurrle is "living the dream" at Stamford Bridge.

"I do have the feeling that I have settled in and I am accepted, have my place on the team and with the fans. I could have had a few more starts, but that is down to problems at the start of this year. Overall it's a record that shows I have found my feet. Everything fits, my decision [to join Chelsea] was right, I win minutes on the pitch. I am living my dream at my dream club."

-Andre Schurrle; source: Kicker via ESPN

The problems were mostly physical in nature, and Andre has doubled down in his training and conditioning efforts.  Inspired, of course, by you know who.

"When you see my battles here and compare them with those of my time in the Bundesliga, they are worlds apart.

He has mastered the psychological tricks, with which he tickles and teases the players to get something special - it works with me too."

-Andre Schurrle; source: Kicker via Inside Futbol

Merchandising idea sidenote:  Tickle-me-Schürrle.  Oh boy!