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The Spain star slammed the former Real Madrid and Inter boss' style of play, while also criticising Roberto Di Matteo’s Champions League-winning Chelsea side

 

Barcelona midfielder Xavi has launched another attack on Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, hitting out at ‘The Special One’s’ footballing philiosophy.

The Spain international, who was regularly critical of the Portuguese while he was in charge of Clasico rivals Real Madrid, insists Pep Guardiola and Johan Cruyff are examples of coaches who want their sides to play football in the right way.

“Pep Guardiola is an important person for me - Jose Mourinho is a coach who focuses only on results,†Xavi told Panenka magazine.

“He says he is ‘The Special One’ because he won this and that in so many countries but I do not like the way his teams play.

“Who remembers the Inter side who were champions of Europe? For me, he has not left a legacy, unlike Cruyff has in the Netherlands.â€

Xavi was also critical of former Chelsea boss Roberto Di Matteo, who guided the Blues past Barca in the Champions League semi-finals on their way to winning the competition in 2012.

“Di Matteo was the same [as Mourinho]," the playmaker argued.

 

"He won the Champions League, but from my point of view that team didn’t play at all."

“I am happy playing for Barca because of our philosophy.â€

Xavi has been a vocal critic of Mourinho's tactics,

 

while he also hit out at the Portuguese coach for his treatment of international team-mate Iker Casillas during his final months at the helm of Madrid.       

 

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In this article, we must focus on some part of quotes from him.

 

 

" from my point of view that team didn’t play at all. "

 

How can we define that team which is lost by the team that didn't play at all?

 

cant wait for Jose Mourinho's response..........

 

 

 

 

Edited January 8, 201412 yr by Michael Corleone

Xavis a whinging little sh*t, such a pathetic little loser. Strange hiw he doesnt mention the game where we battered them at the bridge, had several penalty shouts and they went through with there first shot on goal.

I have a feeling we'll be meeting them again this season.

Typical Barca, hate the f**kers. They're so bitter now they don't dominate world football. Us, Bayern and Mourinho worked them out.

Brainwashed

Getting his excuses in early?

All the history books will say is who won it and when push comes to shove that's all that matters in the end, whether you win or lose. 

Well...he's right in the sense that Mourinho is in the results business, doesn't necessarily prioritize style or even impose a legacy but he is capable of getting his teams to play lovely stuff, that Inter vs Barca first leg when Inter won 3-1 was very impressive. Real Madrid played some lovely football in quite a lot of games under Mourinho, but when push came to shove, ultimately his lack of ambition in terms of playing style has cost Mourinho successive CL finals with Madrid. He's playing very good counter-attacking football in many PL games this season.

 

Chelsea under Di Matteo played with ruthless efficiency, it wasn't pretty watching the overall playing style since the focus was on defensive discipline and being difficult to break down, but it sure was amazing to see Drogba up front, he was superb that season. 

 

Everyone has different tastes when it comes to the game, I share Xavi's opinions but I also appreciate the need for adaptations in order to get the one-off results a team needs, especially in a competition like the CL.

 

If you look at it from Xavi's perspective, he's used to winning things playing champagne football, but what he needs to realise is that not every coach has the same mindset of playing a certain way and not every team is even capable with the training facilities/training methods and players at their disposal. That style of play is also not immune to defeat as Xavi well knows.

 

One thing is for sure though, Xavi is a winner, not a "loser" as a poster stated above me. The guy has won everything he could win and more, and yes, he did it playing brilliant football. He is one of the few footballers who can criticise pretty much any team and any manager and still be respected. 

Edited January 8, 201412 yr by gunnör

Well...he's right in the sense that Mourinho is in the results business, doesn't necessarily prioritize style or even impose a legacy but he is capable of getting his teams to play lovely stuff, that Inter vs Barca first leg when Inter won 3-1 was very impressive. Real Madrid played some lovely football in quite a lot of games under Mourinho, but when push came to shove, ultimately his lack of ambition in terms of playing style has cost Mourinho successive CL finals with Madrid. He's playing very good counter-attacking football in many PL games this season.

 

Chelsea under Di Matteo played with ruthless efficiency, it wasn't pretty watching the overall playing style since the focus was on defensive discipline and being difficult to break down, but it sure was amazing to see Drogba up front, he was superb that season. 

 

Everyone has different tastes when it comes to the game, I share Xavi's opinions but 

 

There's still a beauty to Jose's teams.

 

When he first came to Chelsea we were the most ruthless team in the league by far, as soon as we went 1-0 we expected to win.

 

How is that building a legacy? His Chelsea team won the league with the highest points tally ever in Premier League history, more than Wenger's "invincibles" team, meaning it was a better team.

 

His Chelsea team let in the fewest goals of a Premier League team in its history, 15 goals in 38 matches, that is getting defending down to an art form.

There's still a beauty to Jose's teams.

 

When he first came to Chelsea we were the most ruthless team in the league by far, as soon as we went 1-0 we expected to win.

 

How is that building a legacy? His Chelsea team won the league with the highest points tally ever in Premier League history, more than Wenger's "invincibles" team, meaning it was a better team.

 

His Chelsea team let in the fewest goals of a Premier League team in its history, 15 goals in 38 matches, that is getting defending down to an art form.

I am a big fan of Mourinho, make no mistake about that, and yes, there is a certain attractiveness in his playing style I agree, he has mastered the art of the counter-attack and building teams from the defence up. That's why he is suited to teams that build around their organization and defensive discipline peppered with some creativity up front. I like his work, in fact I love it, it is very efficient and he knows what to do to get the results he wants pretty much every game. 

 

It is also however, easy to see why players like Xavi say what they say and why many people agree with them. He has a different outlook on the game. 

 

EDIT: I frequently compare Mourinho's attitude and coaching style to Wenger, the manager of my club Arsenal, there's an awful lot of things that Wenger could learn from Jose which unfortunately he isn't doing. I do prefer Wenger's outlook on how the game is played overall (or as Klopp puts it "Wenger-ball" haha) but the fact is there are many things he could take from Mourinho including but not limited to:

 

1. Not putting up with players in mediocre form or ability.

2. Quickly making tactical or player changes in reaction to how the game is going. 

3. Playing to reflect the opposition's strengths and abilities when facing very tough opponents. 

 

These are some of the 3 things that Wenger is unfortunately and stubbornly refusing to do which would improve Arsenal's chances of gaining silverware. 

Edited January 8, 201412 yr by gunnör

Well...he's right in the sense that Mourinho is in the results business, doesn't necessarily prioritize style or even impose a legacy but he is capable of getting his teams to play lovely stuff, that Inter vs Barca first leg when Inter won 3-1 was very impressive. Real Madrid played some lovely football in quite a lot of games under Mourinho, but when push came to shove, ultimately his lack of ambition in terms of playing style has cost Mourinho successive CL finals with Madrid. He's playing very good counter-attacking football in many PL games this season.

 

Chelsea under Di Matteo played with ruthless efficiency, it wasn't pretty watching the overall playing style since the focus was on defensive discipline and being difficult to break down, but it sure was amazing to see Drogba up front, he was superb that season. 

 

Everyone has different tastes when it comes to the game, I share Xavi's opinions but I also appreciate the need for adaptations in order to get the one-off results a team needs, especially in a competition like the CL.

 

If you look at it from Xavi's perspective, he's used to winning things playing champagne football, but what he needs to realise is that not every coach has the same mindset of playing a certain way and not every team is even capable with the training facilities/training methods and players at their disposal. That style of play is also not immune to defeat as Xavi well knows.

 

One thing is for sure though, Xavi is a winner, not a "loser" as a poster stated above me. The guy has won everything he could win and more, and yes, he did it playing brilliant football. He is one of the few footballers who can criticise pretty much any team and any manager and still be respected. 

 

That's actually a very balanced view. Jose's managerial style is very much based around man management and adapting to suit the situation, he has no real set philosophy because he recognises that every one has advantages and weaknesses.  That frustrates me at times but you have to face facts and say it delivers. Winning the title with Madrid during a period where Barca won everything is proof that his methods work. 

 

Xavi is one of these types who have become more prominent recently who believe that the game is won by whoever has the most possession. There may be a correlation, but it isn't the only way to win. Bayern destroyed them last season with less than 40% of the ball in both games.

 

I've always been of the view that Barca were only capable of winning as easily as they did because Messi was capable of brilliance that other players weren't. The strategy is useful but not as important as the key player. Arsenal I cited for a long time as being an example of a team trying to play the same way without Messi and winning nothing. It has been notable that Arsenal haven't had as much of the ball this season and have been more successful (so far)

 

As for his complaints against Di Matteo. We won because we neutralised Messi (he has still never scored against us) and they had no plan B. Bosingwa played at centre-back against them and we played with ten men for more than half of the game. If you can't win under those circumstances you have no right to criticise, just as they didn't when Mourinho sent them out when managing Inter.

^^^^

 

Yes we worked out how to beat them, and they never really got over it. We had the beating of them under Hiddink too, but for a dodgy ref,  and Jose in his first tenure.

 

That night when we put them out at the Bridge was second only to the CL win for me...I was in the Matthew Harding and the atmoshphere was unbelievable. Barca's stroppy behaviour at the final whistle was just the icing on the cake.

That's actually a very balanced view. Jose's managerial style is very much based around man management and adapting to suit the situation, he has no real set philosophy because he recognises that every one has advantages and weaknesses.  That frustrates me at times but you have to face facts and say it delivers. Winning the title with Madrid during a period where Barca won everything is proof that his methods work. 

 

Xavi is one of these types who have become more prominent recently who believe that the game is won by whoever has the most possession. There may be a correlation, but it isn't the only way to win. Bayern destroyed them last season with less than 40% of the ball in both games.

 

I've always been of the view that Barca were only capable of winning as easily as they did because Messi was capable of brilliance that other players weren't. The strategy is useful but not as important as the key player. Arsenal I cited for a long time as being an example of a team trying to play the same way without Messi and winning nothing. It has been notable that Arsenal haven't had as much of the ball this season and have been more successful (so far)

 

As for his complaints against Di Matteo. We won because we neutralised Messi (he has still never scored against us) and they had no plan B. Bosingwa played at centre-back against them and we played with ten men for more than half of the game. If you can't win under those circumstances you have no right to criticise, just as they didn't when Mourinho sent them out when managing Inter.

You're absolutely correct, winning the title with Madrid was in my opinion, one of his greatest achievements, people tend to forget exactly how dominant and imposing Barca were during that period, to take the title away from them, even if it's just one season, was outstanding. He did have to adapt his style slightly to play a far more intensive pressing game and he got the players' stamina and fitness up, he done very well. 

 

The two games I would point to this season which really shows Mourinho's standing as a masterful tactician is firstly the game against Bayern Munich when Chelsea lost to them in penalties. I was in awe at what I was seeing, I was very very impressed, that was beautiful football. He knew exactly what Bayern would do right down to the last man and he set up his team to play from behind the ball, whenever they saw a gap in the play the pace at which they got forward was incredible, even Guardiola didn't see it coming. It took a sending off for Chelsea and a last gasp Martinez goal to get anything from the game for Bayern. If it was Wenger, we would have gone there and played an open game of football and shipped in 4 or 5 goals. 

 

The other game is the Schalke CL game away from home or even the one at home for that matter. Need I say more? Masterclass in counter attacking football once more. 

 

You're right about the fact that Barca always struggled against Chelsea, my theory is that because Chelsea's long term set up was to always focus on closing the space between the lines, it has frustrated Messi yes and also teams that weave their way in field playing intricate football (which also explains why Arsenal always struggled to beat Chelsea too). 

 

Messi's form undoubtedly contributed to Barca's immense success, but if you stick Messi in Arsenal, I'm not sure we would win a lot of things. Barca had a certain technical prowess that Arsenal will not achieve anytime soon. It isn't a coincidence that much of the same players won a couple of Euros and a World Cup to boot. They had a style of play that I  consider to be the best that world football has ever offered us. That 2011 Barca team in particular is what I consider and many managers also consider to be the pinnacle of world football so far. 

Edited January 8, 201412 yr by gunnör

Barcelona are the Liverpool of Spain. They are stuck so far up their own ass's and they can't accept that clubs do things differently to theirs. I hate people that believe that the way they do things is the only way.

To be fair, I agree that the Inter CL win was the least memorable in recent times. If it wasn't a treble season I probably wouldn't remember much of it, the final was poor. RDM's win though will be remembered for a long time, his legacy is pretty much set.

This legacy thing is a bit strange, because when he left us we pretty much carried on in with the same way of playing, the majority of the same players and continued to win. So, erm a legacy then.

^^^^

 

Yes we worked out how to beat them, and they never really got over it. We had the beating of them under Hiddink too, but for a dodgy ref,  and Jose in his first tenure.

 

That night when we put them out at the Bridge was second only to the CL win for me...I was in the Matthew Harding and the atmoshphere was unbelievable. Barca's stroppy behaviour at the final whistle was just the icing on the cake.

 

What a night that was. Percy blocking Valdes helped, but I think those first 25 minutes was probably the best football I've ever watched a Chelsea team produce. Hard to believe Kezman was on the field for that!

Hard to believe Kezman was on the field for that!

 

And put in an amazing assist if I remember.

I don't mind him having a dig at Mourinho, as Jose is a huge antagoniser and has a very unsavoury relationship with Barcelona.

But the attacks on RDM are just completely below the belt, what has he done to warrant any of that?

Now Xavi, if you want to know the legacy RDM left behind at our football club I can tell you:

First trophy in 26 years which allowed us to build on a very promising team to become one of the top 5 sides in the league resulting in a certain purchase upstairs. Then winning the club's first ever Champions League allowing the club to overhaul the likes of Malouda and Kalou for Oscar, Hazard and Willian to have one of the greatest attacking line ups in the world.

Bemoan the lack of our attacking style? Were you on the pitch in 2000 and 2005 when our fast paced attacking movement tore you apart? I think you were. What about 2009 where you were in a Barcelona side that created zilch until the 94th minute. I don't seem to recall you having problems celebrating that victory.

Not that you have the slight passing interest for us, or anything.

What does Xavi make of Spain, and the way they play? Not exactly exciting are they, I don't care what anyone says.

That's actually a very balanced view. Jose's managerial style is very much based around man management and adapting to suit the situation, he has no real set philosophy because he recognises that every one has advantages and weaknesses. That frustrates me at times but you have to face facts and say it delivers. Winning the title with Madrid during a period where Barca won everything is proof that his methods work.

Xavi is one of these types who have become more prominent recently who believe that the game is won by whoever has the most possession. There may be a correlation, but it isn't the only way to win. Bayern destroyed them last season with less than 40% of the ball in both games.

I've always been of the view that Barca were only capable of winning as easily as they did because Messi was capable of brilliance that other players weren't. The strategy is useful but not as important as the key player. Arsenal I cited for a long time as being an example of a team trying to play the same way without Messi and winning nothing. It has been notable that Arsenal haven't had as much of the ball this season and have been more successful (so far)

As for his complaints against Di Matteo. We won because we neutralised Messi (he has still never scored against us) and they had no plan B. Bosingwa played at centre-back against them and we played with ten men for more than half of the game. If you can't win under those circumstances you have no right to criticise, just as they didn't when Mourinho sent them out when managing Inter.

Possession is a nice stat but what ultimately counts is not giving the ball away. If your team suffers less turnovers then it fits not Mayer of you have low possession.

Also football is a weak link game. The level of your worst player has a bigger impact on your results than your best player's. So while having Messi is an obvious advantage, he's not the THE key and reason for Barca's success.

I hope City beat the crap out of Barca in February. There's no team I hate more than Cheatalona

What does Xavi make of Spain, and the way they play? Not exactly exciting are they, I don't care what anyone says.

Posession for posessions sake and no real attacking direction is more anti football than playing defensively. I much prefer goals like ramires's against them to any tika taka sh*te. A fantastic tackle, a lovely weighted defence splitting pass, and a superb finish. Direct, quick and great to watch. Better than death by a thousand passes. This whiney little prick just cant handle the fact chelsea, and jose, have figured them out.

Posession for posessions sake and no real attacking direction is more anti football than playing defensively. I much prefer goals like ramires's against them to any tika taka sh*te. A fantastic tackle, a lovely weighted defence splitting pass, and a superb finish. Direct, quick and great to watch. Better than death by a thousand passes. This whiney little prick just cant handle the fact chelsea, and jose, have figured them out.

 

Don't forget Robbie...he was the one that crushed their hearts this last time

Edited January 8, 201412 yr by robdog

Posession for posessions sake and no real attacking direction is more anti football than playing defensively. I much prefer goals like ramires's against them to any tika taka sh*te. A fantastic tackle, a lovely weighted defence splitting pass, and a superb finish. Direct, quick and great to watch. Better than death by a thousand passes. This whiney little prick just cant handle the fact chelsea, and jose, have figured them out.

 

Don't think it can be said much better than this.