
John
Terry gives a fascinating insight into Jose Mourinho's management style, and
what made him so special at Chelsea.
Terry played under Mourinho during his two spells as Chelsea boss, winning
three Premier League titles as the Blues began to dominate English football.
Speaking on Monday Night Football, former Chelsea defender revealed how
Mourinho's coaching tactics, man management style and character helped make
him so successful...
"He did everything"
He was the best manager, and the best coach as well. He did everything.
He was the first one to come and revolutionise it at Chelsea. He would be
the first in, 8am, he'd be the one setting the cones out, and you'd come in
as players and he'd be out there, if it was pouring with rain, getting his
session organised.
"He'd go absolutely berserk"
He brought three young boys in as ball boys, every time the ball went out of
play we had a ball back in instantly, and if that was a bad pass, or a bad
roll from one of his staff, he would stop the session and go absolutely
berserk at one of his staff.
And to a point, it was pretty embarrassing for them, but his standards were
so high, and he demanded from everyone. The players, staff, people inside
the medical team, everyone at the football club. He was on everything. His
intensity and attention to detail was incredible.
"Footballs on the first session"
He 100 per cent changed the way I thought about football. In his first
session, the lads came in and we thought: "Wow, that's a proper session."
It was pre-season, and the first thing he said was to get the balls out. And
for our generation, it was unheard of to get footballs out in the first
pre-season session.
He said you never see a pianist running around a piano, you see a pianist
work on the piano. But we probably covered more distance with the ball than
we would have done without it! Psychologically he had us.
"When I speak, you listen"
He was the same in the second spell. The intensity, his presence. You felt
it there, if someone was messing about in the warm up, or kicking the ball
when he was speaking, he'd say: "When I speak the ball stays still, you
listen to me." He was the boss.
"He got the last bit out of everyone"
When Rafa [Benitez] was at Chelsea, he didn't play me, and Jose took over
again. He got on the phone to me and said I'm his main man, work hard in the
summer.
I remember being out for dinner with my wife and kids, I had a glass of
wine, I got off the phone with him, and then I said no more wine, that's it,
I'm training two or three times a day. He knew how to suck every last bit
out of everyone.