Mourinho explained: "After the match in Porto, Sir Alex had a reaction but I understood that reaction not as a personal thing but as a football thing.
"I felt that my players were not so big that they could cope with this kind of pressure so I had to protect them and I had to show in the press conference that their boss was not afraid to fight.
"But there was a lot of respect there and after the second leg I was very pleased because Sir Alex came to my dressing room to congratulate me and I have a lot of respect for him.
"However, if I feel my players and my club are in a situation when they need my help then it is like family, and I'll be there for them.
"You have to know the philosophy and style of every coach around you and I want to have scouts at pre-season matches of English teams because I want to know everything about them.
"When you go to a 'war' - and football is not a war in the real sense - you must go prepared. You must know your opponent, you must know their weaknesses and strengths.''
So any hopes of Jose taking down Fergie with a shotgun blast to the back of the head are now gone...