Jose Mourinho has conceded Rafael Benítez did “very well” during his Chelsea stint – but has insisted the Spaniard was under a different type of pressure.
The 50-year-old signed a four-year deal at the Blues in June after opting to end his Real Madrid reign and succeed interim manager Benítez at the west London side.
The ex-Liverpool boss, currently in charge of Napoli, led Chelsea to an inaugural Europa League title in May, as well as masterminding a third-place finish last season.
Mourinho, who won two Premier League titles in his first Chelsea spell, is on a three-game losing streak following defeats by Bayern Munich, Everton and Basel.
But the Blues manager feels he is under more pressure than Benítez, who was only hired to see out the 2012-13 campaign after Roberto Di Matteo was axed in November.
“Rafael Benítez wasn’t a critic so let me think how I’ll say this, he had a completely different profile of job than I have,” said Mourinho.
“He knew after a few months he wasn’t going to stay. He had two objectives: to qualify for the Champions League and, the other objective, to win the Europa League.
“He did not have to worry about the same things. That competition is for players with a lower profile than Chelsea.
He added: “I am not a critic. I think he did very well. My job is for four years.
“I want to build, not just for me, but for Chelsea.”
Mourinho’s men face Fulham in the west London derby at Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening.