Midfielder recalls Mourinho’s words, Benfica boss called us idiots | OneFootball

Joe Cole was coached by José Mourinho at Chelsea and has vivid memories of the strong temperament of the Special One. Now retired from the pitch, the former midfielder recalled José Mourinho’s words before hosting Barcelona in the 2005 Champions League.

"It was your first big test as a team and you failed. You went to Camp Nou and hid. Cowards! Zero courage. He tore into Petr Cech, John Terry, Lampard... He told them that Eto’o and Deco had destroyed them, José [Mourinho] swore in perfect English, ‘Bloody idiots! You’ve got no balls!’ he said. He did it with anger, with contempt, with disappointment. It felt like a room full of death row inmates waiting for their turn," he wrote in his book, which The Telegraph had access to.

"I was thinking, ‘He’s giving everyone 20 seconds. Wait until it’s my turn, they’ll have to pick me up off the floor’. When he came to me and Duffa [Damien Duff], he told us we’d played well, that we’d worked hard. I felt like a man blindfolded in front of a firing squad, saved by a last-minute pardon," he recalled.

After Mourinho left the dressing room, Joe Cole says that "no one even dared to clear their throat": "José wanted aggression and pressure and he got it. We were already winning 3-0 before Barcelona even got into the game", the former England international recalled.

"He knows when to destroy you and when to lift you up. That night, after the final whistle, he came to me, hugged me and shouted to the fans 'Joe Cole! We won thanks to him!' That was his way of saying he’d forgiven me and I felt like I’d made it. He coached us like no one else. Everything was with the ball and without interruptions. He made you think while you played. Physically it was exhausting, but mentally it made you stronger," he concluded.

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