John Obi Mikel has spoken out about the time Jose Mourinho brought Mohamed Salah to tears
The former Chelsea star defended his former manager’s tough approach as a means of challenging his squad
‘The Special One’ is known for his stringent methods and high expectations, which have frequently led to success. However, for Salah, his Stamford Bridge stay ended in disappointment, only to later achieve stardom at Liverpool.
Ex-Blues midfielder Mikel recounted a poignant moment from a 2014 clash against Norwich City when Mourinho’s harsh words during a half-time substitution caused Salah to cry, signalling a turning point in their rapport.
Speaking on That Peter Crouch Podcast, Mikel began by praising Mourinho, saying: “Fantastic guy, amazing. Not just [as] a coach, but a human being as well.
“He’s someone you can speak to, someone you can connect with. But [he] obviously has his ways of trying to get the best out of players.
“Sometimes did he cross the line? Of course he did. Of course, he did cross the line sometimes, the way he spoke to players. Especially younger players. But it was just that era of him trying to get the best out of players.”
The method in question is one that saw the former Chelsea boss deliver a dressing-room tongue-lashing to Egyptian star Salah, who responded by bursting into tears and subsequently being substituted.
“He did that with Mo Salah when he had a go at him in the dressing room, and Mo Salah started crying, and he took him off,” said Mikel.
“Sometimes when you have a go at players, you just have a go and take them off! Or you have a go and let them go back into the game and try to correct whatever mistake it was. But sometimes he does that and tells you, ‘You’re not going back in.’ It’s a double whammy, isn’t it?”
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