Mourinho's notes about Barca's 2006 stars leaked

Jose Mourinho's history as a manager is fairly complete and full of titles. The Portuguese man has managed teams such as Porto, Chelsea, Inter, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Tottenham and Roma, where he currently is.

However, with Porto and Inter, he managed to achieve big things and win the Champions League. In 2006 when he was at Chelsea, Barcelona knocked them out of the last-16 when they had a star-studded cast with players like Messi, Ronaldinho and Eto'o.

The 'Daily Mirror' has revealed scouting notes about these players where he analysed them. With regards to the Brazilian, the manager said: "Dangerous between the lines. Very poor in transition and in defence, make the most of it. Not consistent either, he crumbles easily".

"Aggressive player, but very emotional. He goes crazy when provoked. Ideal chance to pressure. Bad positioning, he follows the striker to the midfield. Bad defensive leadership, wants to play to offside trap when it's not possible", he explained about Puyol.

About Messi, he emphasised the following: "Quality and speed, but very left sided. Plays exactly the same as Ronaldinho. Plays inside the lines and uses diagonal runs. Spurs on his team by running with the ball. Foul him as soon as possible. Impressive in the one-on-ones". 

"Always comes off the bench. Very dynamic player. Big radius of play. Quick to move around and carry things out. Cheater", he judged about Iniesta.

Lastly, he analysed Eto'o, who he had at Inter: "Explosive and aggresive with or without the ball. Persists, creates and maintains a high intensity throughout the whole game. Shoots from anywhere and unexpectedly. Very strong defensively".

 

November 8, 2022