Jose Mourinho has hit out at Sky Sports pundits Jamie Carragher and Graeme Souness over comments made in the aftermath of Chelsea’s Champions League elimination on Wednesday night.
The Blues were sent crashing out of the competition by 10-man Paris Saint-Germain, who snatched a 2-2 draw on the night to advance into the quarter-finals on away goals.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic was red-carded after 32 minutes, with Mourinho’s side courting criticism for the way in which they surrounded referee Bjorn Kuipers immediately after the Swede’s challenge on Oscar.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Carragher, 37, labelled the players’ behaviour as “disgraceful” and suggested that it stemmed directly from Mourinho, while 61-year-old Souness described it as “pathetic”.
But speaking to reporters ahead of Sunday’s visit of Southampton, the Portuguese hit back at the pair.
“I’m not like you. I’m not like people in your area – the nature of your job is you go with the wind, the wind blows to that side you go to that side, the wind blows to the other side you go to the other side.
“I’m not like that with my players. I like my players and I trust my players when I win and when I lose. I can’t be like the wind, so I support my players. We win together and we lose together.
“You know, the world is a bit strange, maybe because of diet and the quality of the products we are eating, because memories are getting shorter. When Jamie Carragher and Graeme Souness speak about it, it’s because they’re having a problem.
“The game finished, I was in the tunnel and one-by-one – not just the players, the coaches, everyone – I shook their hands, told them they deserved [to win], good luck for the future. This is the way we behave after a defeat.
“This is the way I am and the way I work. I’m not like people want me to be, the way people sometimes like to describe me. Jamie stopped playing a couple of years ago and in two years he forgot everything he did on the pitch.
“Mr Souness also forgot but he stopped playing quite a long time [ago], and he also forgets that a couple of years after he left Benfica I coached there. I know a lot about him.
“I learned so much about him but also a certain kind of education, not just in football but also in life. So I prefer to laugh and say that envy is the biggest tribute that the shadows give to the man.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vlw-OD-Ew8w
It is not the first time this year that Mourinho has found himself embroiled in a war of words with a Sky employee.
In January, the Portuguese previously jousted with Jamie Redknapp over his assessment of Diego Costa’s conduct in their Capital One Cup semi-final win over Liverpool in January.
Is Jose right about Carragher and Souness? Let us know your thoughts below.
Yes mr mourinho is right. Those sky sports pundit talks a lot of rubbish. When carragher is playing, how many times did chelsea beat him, how many times did he win anything. He is the worst defender I have ever seen or watch. Can’t even trap a ball, but he talks a lot like a world class footballer
Appalling and unjustified comments by a biased panel of northern pundits and commentator who were far from angels when they played on a pitch. I personally complained to Sky about the ludicrous comments of Carragher and Souness. The sending off was a red card all day long – a two-footed, dangerous challenge with the potential to end a career. Get a grip Sky.
carragher was once a player, let him stand still and say it on air dat he never run to a ref while playing in his days. also he was never a gud defender in his dis will all no dat, so while is sky sport peaking arogant or a player who dnt no d difference between 5 and 6 in d denfence to come to studio and analyz football. sky sport shame on u for nt noing d right people to bring to analyz games.