Mourinho was also friendly to Leonardo's position. He thought the Brazilian might win at Inter Milan. However, towards his old rival Benitez in the Premier League, Mourinho was more sarcastic. "Leonardo reminds me of Mourinho. I see some good cards, such as basketball from Bogou, attention to details, enthusiasm and sense of responsibility," Moratti said. "When we chose Benitez, it seemed like he had the experience needed to handle various situations, but everyone's ability to bear pressure is still different." "Indeed, we considered Leonardo in June, but it didn't seem suitable at that time because he planned to take a break after leaving AC Milan." Moratti revealed to La Gazzetta dello Sport. After leading the team to win the Club World Cup, Benitez parted ways with Inter Milan. The Spaniard lost his job after only six months of coaching at the club. Subsequently, Inter Milan chairman Moratti brought in the Brazilian Leonardo and even said that Leonardo was the first choice for the new coach at the beginning of the season. "I think Leo is the natural successor to Mourinho, and he has the ability to take on this heavy burden." "In fact, the day before the Club World Cup, I was still trying to make the team feel that they were on the side of the coach, never involving them in these decisions." "I think publicly demanding the introduction of players is a wrong approach, which would put Benitez in trouble," Moratti continued. "I also think he should follow his own path and continue to grow. Returning to Inter Milan can also lead to growth, but I don't think he considers it now, and neither do we." "He enjoys being a coach very much. I can also assure AC Milan fans that when talking about the past, he always expresses it in a very positive way." Leonardo officially took office on Christmas Eve, and his first official match after taking office was the game against Napoli on January 6. "Was it easy to persuade him to take over? Although he had some doubts, we quickly reached an agreement. But among these doubts, it did not include whether he would be regarded as a 'traitor' by AC Milan, because he is obviously not." One of the main reasons for Benitez's failure at Inter Milan was the loss of control over the dressing room. Compared to his predecessor Mourinho, the players clearly lacked sufficient respect for Benitez. "Will there be a day when we can see them both serving at Inter Milan? I believe Mourinho also wants to return to this club, just as he has special feelings for Chelsea."