Jose Mourinho has revealed some of the mind games he deployed on Samuel Eto’o throughout Inter’s run to the 2010 UEFA Champions League.
Bidding to get a reaction from his star forward, Mourinho said he ‘fought every day’ for a week with Eto’o before their 2010 UEFA Champions League clash with Chelsea.
“An example of a very strong-minded guy – Samuel Eto’o – he won us the [last-16 tie] against Chelsea with Inter. He scored the winning goal at Stamford Bridge, he played a fantastic match.
“The week before, I fought him every day. I told him ‘I’m not going to play you, you are not in your best level, you are not going to play’.
“[Eto’o said] ‘Please Mr, let me play’, [I said] ‘no, there is no please Mr, you are not going to play, you are not performing, I don’t trust you.’
“An emotional work with him, such a strong guy, that I knew that he would react the way he did.
“I wouldn’t do that with a player of a completely different profile.”
Mourinho has never been one to shy away from criticising those around him, be it staff, owners or players, but the Portuguese has also forged iron-clad bonds with many of his trusted deputies; indeed, following his first departure from Chelsea, Didier Drogba, John Terry and Frank Lampard were all reportedly reduced to tears.
While at his managerial peak he was noted for his tactical nous, Mourinho’s man management was also a significant reason for his success, knowing just how to get the best out of every player.
Arriving at Inter in 2008, looking to rebuild his reputation to an extent after being sacked by Chelsea two years earlier, Mourinho had built a side ready to contend on all three fronts by the start of his second season.
Included in the numerous additions to the squad was Eto’o, who’d won the Treble with Barcelona the previous year, and while the Cameroon international was a key part of Mourinho’s plans, the Inter boss spent the week prior to their last-16 tie telling him he wasn’t going to play.
Having nearly crashed out of the competition in the group stage, Mourinho returned to Stamford Bridge with a slender 2-1 lead from the first leg.
Mourinho’s mind games clearly worked. Eto’o, deployed on the wing to give Inter more defensive stability, worked tirelessly throughout the night and could’ve scored a hat-trick.
Although he only scored one, it was the match-winning goal, as Inter progressed to the quarter-finals, eventually going on to win the UEFA Champions League.
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