Jose Mourinho has opened up for the first time since his sacking by Manchester United last month, appearing to criticise the club's management structure and the power of players.
Appearing as a pundit on beIN Sports, Mourinho was gagged from talking directly about United but his answers to questions will certainly provide plenty of food for thought for fans of the club.
Mourinho was sacked on December 18 with the club sixth in the table and having fallen out with several first-team stars, most notably record signing Paul Pogba.
He also repeatedly expressed his frustration at the club's board in his final months for not signing the players he wanted.
And those frustrations were aired again on Thursday as he was asked for his thoughts on the ideal structure at a modern football club.
'We are not any more in the time where the coach by himself is powerful enough to cope and have a relationship of education and sometimes confrontation with players who are not the best professionals', Mourinho said, 'the coaches nowadays they need a structure.'
He added: 'A club must have an owner or a president, a CEO or an executive director, a sports director or a football director, and then the manager. This is a structure that can cope with all the problems that modernity is bringing to all of us.
'So, for me a club must be very well organised to cope with these kind of situations, where the manager is only the manager and not the man who is trying to keep the discipline or who is trying to educate the players.'
Mourinho's description of the ideal structure of a club could be taken as a thinly-veiled dig at United's lack of a sporting director. Ed Woodward, the club's executive vice-chairman, is charged with signing players despite his background being in business.
Mourinho evoked legendary United manager Sir Alex Ferguson as he expanded his point, seemingly referencing his relationship with Pogba.
He added: 'The phrase I kept with me from Sir Alex Ferguson was, "the day a player is more important than the club, goodbye". Not anymore, not anymore.
'So I think the way to do it is for the players to find a certain balance and the balance has to be created in the relationship between the players and the manager.
'The manager is there to coach them, the manager is not there to keep the discipline at any cost.
'The structure must be made, the structure must be there to protect the manager and for the players to feel that everything is in place and that they are not going to arrive into a situation where they feel more powerful than they used to be.'
Shadownet
232
I picked up one thing from this..... Now I know why Mourinho has a rift with Top players in the Clubs he coached.... “The day a player becomes bigger than the club, Goodbye , Goodbye” . All I have to say is that thus man has a point. You can't propel a player over the coach simply because of branding. We are playing football here not fashion... . PEACE ✌✌✌
xforce
127
Ferguson maintained law and order. He was known for discipline. e.g., remember how Roony was and what happened for him to get in line.
JmoneyZ
103
wait let me ask those saying Pogba is feeling as though he's bigger than the club a question, was Pogba the real problem of Mourinho Man U??? when a bus full of passengers have an accident who is responsible?? the passengers or the driver?? even though there might be some passengers distracting the driver it is the driver's duty to maintain focus till all passengers reach their destination, so what ever problems Pogba may have given Mourinho I don't think its enough to impact on the team negatively not when they are being coached by an experience coach who have coached different types of players in the past, what wm I saying here?? all am saying is Mourinho has to take the blame for failing to tame Pogba and bring out the best in the rest of the squad
Zumbkry
88
Mourinho should learn something. You can't plant respect into someone you have to earn it by doing good things and not his constant criticism of the players!
S_r_o_
75
He always talks nonsense.Without any signing, OGS makes the perfect start to the United regime.Providing all the players Jose wants,still complaining the players and still asking for new players.But OGS not demanding so many people.So much difference in between them...
Ben_530
70
Goodbye ！u are part of United's history now...thank u for what u done at United, u are a great coach, wish u good luck in the future...what u said is reality, people wont remember when u done well, but they will remember when u done worst once...respect x3
hezailmt
70
I support him
Handsome Mike
63
When you have problems with almost every body/club you come across, then the problem is within and not the people. Mourinho has clashed with everybody and even the air that he breathes.. He should swallow his pride and look inwards to make himself a better person rather than blame everybody. He even clashed with Eva Caneiro and made the woman lose her Chelsea job.
12UnitedGuyReborn
55
He is kinda right though, because nowadays some players get to be very powerful than their managers and that makes it hard for them to be controlled or told what to do Mourinho may have had a forgettable last season at united but one thing is there is truth in his explanations and something needs to be done truly
Rizabeknoz
50
The bus(the club) full of passengers(spectators,fans) having tires(players) with a driver(the manager), when there is problem with any of the tires and the driver complain to the owner and the owner says, please manage it on the journey(end of season). The driver can't go well with that bus. All other bus trailing that root will definitely be ahead of the bus because their tires are OK. The truth is Pogba has already poison all the rest player's. He is small but mighty fool. His untoward attitude towards mourhino got the rest players contaminated. Man. U. is a club too big without a sporting director.
seydeknptu
46
what Mou said is true. when Mou came to Man utd, the club was down. he worked hard to put the club at a good level. he won Europa cup and the team was vice champion last season. so there is no reasons for the team to be at this position this season. I think some players boycotted? Mou's system. remember before Mou Man utd spent about 10 years without winning a continental trophy.
dukmnost
8
I picked up one thing from this..... Now I know why Mourinho has a rift with Top players in the Clubs he coached.... “The day a player becomes bigger than the club, Goodbye , Goodbye” . All I have to say is that thus man has a point. You can't propel a player over the coach simply because of branding. We are playing football here not fashion... . PEACE ✌✌✌
it is the coach who thought himself bigger than the club. he quarreled with players and club executive when he didn't get what he wanted. he was too special for manu. good riddance