José Mourinho has claimed Graeme Souness is “a frustrated man” and accused him and Jamie Carragher of having short memories over their criticisms of Chelsea players during their Champions League exit to Paris Saint-Germain in midweek.
The sight of nine of the London club’s outfield players crowding around the referee, Bjorn Kuipers, following Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s challenge on Oscar had been branded “disgraceful” by Carragher in his capacity as a pundit for Sky.
Souness, sitting at his side in the studio at Stamford Bridge, was equally scathing and described the conduct as “pathetic” while praising PSG as “a proper team” for standing up to their hosts. Yet Mourinho reacted with incredulity at those comments. “You know the world is a bit strange,” he said.
“Maybe because of diet and maybe the quality of the products we are eating, but memories are getting shorter. Because, you know, when Jamie Carragher and Graeme Souness speak about it, it’s because they are having a problem for sure. Jamie stopped playing a couple of years ago and, in two years, he has forgotten everything he did on the pitch.
“Mr Souness also, but he stopped playing a long time ago. I coached Benfica after he left there so I know a lot about him, so much about him. But I have had a certain kind of education, not just in football but in life, and I prefer to laugh. Envy is the biggest tribute that the shadows do to the man. It’s about life.”
Asked to elaborate on the clear friction which exists between him and Souness, Mourinho explained: “The difference between me and Souness is this. Souness as a player, up there [holds his hand above his head]. José as a player, down there [lowers it again]. But José as a manager, up there. Souness as a manager, down there.With another difference. I was not a frustrated man because I was not a top player. He is clearly a frustrated man. A fantastic player, and I have lots of respect, in spite of some episodes, for a fantastic player with a fantastic career in a fantastic club with a top generation of players. Lots of respect.”
Mourinho’s relationship with Sky’s punditry team has been spiky at times this season, particularly over the coverage of Diego Costa’s performance against Liverpool in the second leg of the Capital One Cup semi-finals. He had singled out Jamie Redknapp at the time and, while peace appeared to have been brokered with a performance on the network’s Goals on Sunday show, the comments in midweek have left the situation frosty once again.
The manager offered a strong defence of his players’ general conduct by pointing out Chelsea have been charged only once this season for failing to control their players – following last month’s win over Everton, where a melee on the pitch also saw the visitors sanctioned.
Ibrahimovic had suggested the home players had behaved “like 11 babies” seeking to have him sent off following his challenge on Oscar, but the Chelsea manager rejected that criticism. If they surround the referee [in the Premier League] we are charged and we have to pay a fine, and if we do that the players pay the fine,” said Mourinho, whose team were fined £30,000 by the Football Association for that incident against Everton.
“We have, in this moment I think, had eight or nine months of competition and we were charged once. We paid for that. It’s as simple as that. Go to the Premier League and see how many teams were charged and how many times. Chelsea were charged once. Against PSG the game finished and one by one – not just the players but the coaches from PSG – I shook their hands. I told them they deserved it. This was the way we behave after a defeat.
“This is the example my players get after a defeat. I went to my dressing room, I put everybody together because I am normally very calm and think people deserve to go home and reflect before they speak so as to be without any doubt or emotion, this is what we did.”