Menotti No Fan of Mourinho Style

Cesar Luis Menotti

Cesar Luis Menotti, the former Barcelona manager shred some choice words when he assessed the clubs chances in the final at Wembley on Saturday, taking a chance too also launched a broadside on the tactics of Jose Mourinho in the semi final of the Champions League.

In an interview quoted in the Spanish daily MARCA the 1978 World Cup winning manager is quoted criticising the 'Special One' with a claim the former Chelsea man runs into hiding when Barca come out to play

"He got scared. You know what they say where I am from of Mourinho? That he is a chicken. And, to be more explicit, he shit himself," Menotti told press agencies DPA.

"He left four attackers on the bench: [Emmanuel] Adebayor, [Gonzalo] Higuain, [Karim] Benzema and Kaka. How can you play without them?

"He played with three midfielders and just Cristiano Ronaldo up front. He was scared. The 5-0 in La Liga killed him.

"That was his game and that's where he lost the Liga. Had he got a good result in the first game he would have been a God. 

"But, not only did he lose, but it was the biggest loss in a Clasico. You can lose 2-1, but 5-0 was shameful."

In terms of Saturday's final, El Flaco - the Thin One  - as he is affectionately known in is homeland for his pencil thin figure, said: "Manchester United are the only team who could create Barcelona problems."

He should know as he managed a young Diego Armando Maradona at Barcelona in 1984 when the player was at his supreme best. Unfortunately that season Maradona suffered a bad injury following  tackle by Andoni Goikoetxea of Athletic Bilbao and was out of for a number of weeks. 


Just after his recovery was completed Maradona then contracted Hepatitis which limited the trophy haul at the Catalan club that season to the Copa del Rey.

Menotti was replaced the following year by Terry Venables who took Barcelona to the Euroepan Cup final within two years.

However they lost that final in Sevilla to Steau Bucharest in a most unmemorable final.