FOOTBALL PLAYERS HAVE become less mature over the last 10 years, according to Jose Mourinho, who believes they put themselves into bad surroundings.
The Portuguese has been involved in coaching for over 20 years, a career which has seen him work alongside many incredible players as he won titles at Porto, Chelsea, Inter and Real Madrid.
Now at Manchester United hoping to lead the club back to the pinnacle of English and European football, Mourinho sees some key flaws in the attitudes of his players, insisting the kind of young professionals he worked with when he first turned up at Stamford Bridge in 2004 are just not there.
“I had to adapt to a new world. To what young players are now,” he told France Football.
I had to understand the difference between working with a boy like Frank Lampard, who, at the age of 23 was already a man, who thought football, work, professionalism, and the new boys who at the age of 23 are kids.
“Today I call them ‘boys’ not ‘men’. Because I think that they are brats and that everything that surrounds them does not help them in their life nor in my work.
I had to adjust to all that. Ten years ago, no player had a mobile phone in the dressing room. That is no longer the case.
“But you have to go with it because if you fight that, you are bringing about conflict and you put yourself in the stone age.”
The 54-year-old says he has a better understanding of young players now and feels doing so is key to bringing out the best of them.
If you stop a player from doing something, even something a little stupid on social media, you are going against nature,” he added.
“I admit that having a son and a daughter at that sort of age has helped me to understand the way they function and what the world is today.
I measured, from a methodological point of view, the nature of change. I worked as a result with my assistants to better, modify and adapt our work.
“Technology has given us new tools. Modernity and science too. But the key to everything, in terms of the leadership aspect, is to understand the people that you are working with today.”
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Yep you got that right Josè, I’d kick the likes of Pogba and Lingard up and down the field if I played with them. An embarrassment to Manchester United both of those lads.
Not a Jose fan but he’s talking sense here. Footballers are spoilt little brats these days. Sorry! Very very rich spoilt little brats!! Bring back Bryan robson and Steve mcmahon…
Brats led by a brat, kettle calling the pot black here.
@ktsiwot: yep have to agree here
They take after certain manbaby coaches
Would agree with him can you imagine lampard coming out with his own emoji and being more concerned about his own fashion label than putting in the hard work to prove himself
@Alan b.. of corse not cause Lamps is a chav i
Jose would want to re-watch the scandalous playacting of his brattish Porto side against Celtic in the 2003 Uefa Cup Final to test this maturity scale he seems to have with players…
Hypocrisy at its finest.
Jose just stick to managing your team
@Chris Perrey: he is Chris . He was asked a question and has answered it but because it’s Jose at the most successful club in the England it’s big news