Courtesy of Flickr user PSG World
Paris Saint Germain goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu spoke about Chelsea FC manager Jose Mourinho’s mind games in the press yesterday. He claimed, and rightly so, that everything Mourinho says in the press must be taken with a grain of salt because of the manager’s legendary mind games. Sirigu claims that Mourinho does so with the intent of getting the press talking about him and ignoring his players and any trouble they might be having. The tactics generally seem to work the way they used to with Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson who was famous for his manipulations.
Sirigu on Mourinho’s tactics in the press:
"“Mourinho said that PSG is favorite? When he says something, it is always worth investigating. I do not think like him, we have the same chances of winning as Chelsea. We are strong and Chelsea as well. It’ll be a good game and will be decided by the small details. Mourinho in the media is very good, he brings all the pressure on himself and that helps the team.”"
The irony of Sirigu’s statements is that by commenting on what Mourinho said about his team, he is playing right in to his hands. The goal of Mourinho’s comments seem to be to unsettle his competition and get them focused on and talking about him and that is precisely what Sirigu is doing.
There is still some time left for the buildup of this clash of footballing titans so the mindgames will surely continue. Mourinho will have his attention on the Premier League but as soon as the final whistle blows for the match against Crystal Palace on Saturday, he will focus his wit and manipulations towards PSG. Time, and the performance of the players on the pitch, will decide if his tactics prove to be effective.
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