Xavi Not A Fan Of Mourinho

By Max Wise

Former Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez has criticised Jose Mourinho’s defensive approach to games, and says his team will never play that way if he ever becomes a coach.

The 38-year-old Qatari side Al-Sadd player thinks Mourinho is overly defensive and that he will never line up a team to play that way.

Xavi was at Barcelona in 2010 when Mourinho led Inter Milan to edge out the Catalans from the Champions League by 3-2 on aggregate en route to their conquering of Europe that year.

The two sides meet again in the Champions League on Wednesday, for the first time since then, and Xavi recounts his experience against Mourinho's Inter Milan eight years ago.

"Mourinho is a very defensive coach. Playing against his Inter wasn't easy," Xavi tells Corriere dello Sport.

"That's his style and he put it into practice with Chelsea and Real Madrid. He cares about all the details, he closes the gaps and he doesn't give you space.”

Jose Mourinho burst onto the scene as a young manager in the 2003/2004 season when he led a modest FC Porto to Uefa Champions League glory.

The tough-talking trainer has taken the reigns at Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and currently, Manchester United, and has enjoyed considerable success wherever he has been.

The 55-year-old trainer has however not been a friend to lovers of attacking football, who accuses his approach at the least opportunity.

"I like a different kind of football. I'm not criticising, but I don't enjoy playing football in that way and my teams will never have that attitude."