Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini today reignited his long term spat with Jose Mourinho by attacking the Portuguese’s style of play as he labelled this Chelsea side ‘selfish’.
Mourinho right now is under monumental pressure after a disastrous start to this season that has seen Chelsea hobbling in the bottom half of the league table and the Portuguese finds himself in a string of controversies.
The Blues boss will miss this Saturday’s potentially decisive Premier League away encounter against Stoke as he is facing a one match stadium ban while amid speculation club owner Roman Abramovich is giving a serious consideration about Mourinho’s future at Stamford Bridge.
And now adding to the piling pressure, Jose Mourinho has come under critism from one of his old rival Pellegrini, who stated a mocking assessment of Chelsea’s playing style recently in a new book which just released in Spain.
The Independent quoted an extract reading: “It used to be said that Mourinho’s Chelsea were boring. I don’t think that’s true at all. Chelsea are selfish not boring.
“It’s a team that puts a lot of emphasis on what they do without the ball. And in my opinion that concept of football doesn’t respect the spectacle of the game.
“There are millions of people watching, [some] paying very high prices for tickets. You are seeing great players defending instead of trying to attack the opposition’s goal.
“It is a valid [way of playing] and if you win the league then it is even more valuable but it bears no relation to the spectacle. That is why I believe they are a selfish team, the only thing they want is to win.”
“The fan wants to win for sure. But it is different if you do so by playing well. That is where I differ. I am not a critic, I just believe in a different way of getting the result. What I am critical of is people who are willing to do anything to win.”
It is the latest feud between these two rival managers, who were involved in regular spat during their regime in La Liga, when Mourinho succeeded the Pellegrini at Real Madrid.
Pellegrini, who took charge of Malaga after sacked by Real Madrid, was really furious when Mourinho mocked if Pellegrini feared for his long lasting job prospect if he was fired by Real Madrid. The Chilean replied: “If Madrid sack me I will not end up managing Malaga. If Madrid sack me I would go to a big club in England.”
Again in February last year, Pellegrini accused Mourinho of telling lies about Manchester City’s treatment at the hands of match officials and City not adhering to Financial Fair Play rules. The Portuguese ironically developed a mocking habit of naming the City boss as ‘Pellegrino’ –
Mourinho in the meantime facing another high voltage match tomorrow when Chelsea host Dynamo Kiev in Champions League at Stamford Bridge.