Time for Tactics Not Mind Tricks
Summary
Every time a coach opens his mouth these days, his utterance is interpreted as a psychological ploy. This is especially noticeable in the case of Jose Mourinho, whose barbs and bouquets -- and even gestures -- are hailed as devilishly clever devices for taking the pressure off Chelsea's players. He is only too happy to go along with it. The players testify to its efficacy. So it must be true. But I suspect we have got to the psyched-out stage of Chelsea's Champions League campaign, when there is nothing more to say. In order to maintain the possibility of his joining Ernst Happel and Ottmar Hitzfeld in an elite group of coaches who have become European champions with two clubs, Mourinho has a quite simple responsibility: to win a tactical contest with the adversary I sense he respects most, Rafael Benitez. Fortunately for Mourinho, he is quite good at those too.
Almost as soon as the goalless first leg at Stamford Bridge was over, Mourinho asserted that ``99.9 per cent of Liverpool people believe they are already in the final,''but this seemed more a reflex action of the managerial mouth than a serious attempt at a mind game. He added that he was very confident Chelsea would qualify for Istanbul; for all the excellence of Liverpool's defending, they would have to force the issue more at Anfield on Tuesday. He then cited two instances of teams under his guidance having prevailed after a 0-0 in the home leg of a semi-final. One was when Chelsea met Manchester United in this season's Carling Cup. The other was of at least equal significance to his battle of wits with Benitez, for almost exactly a year ago Mourinho blighted another Spaniard's life - - that of Javier Irureta -- when Porto knocked out Deportivo in La Coruna.See the full content of this document
Extract
Time for Tactics Not Mind Tricks
Then, as now, Mourinho appeared genuinely optimistic after a less than thrilling opening skirmish. Then, as now, the opposition suffered damage through suspension. ``Deportivo lost Mauro Silva through a yellow card late in the ga...
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