JAMIE CARRAGHER revealed the details of his X-rated first meeting with Jose Mourinho – and hailed him as ‘one of the greatest coaches of all time’.
The Special One was sacked by Tottenham on Monday less than a week before the Carabao Cup final where the North Londoners will be looking to end their 13-year trophy drought.
And writing in his column for The Telegraph, Liverpool legend Carragher reminisced on the first time he locked horns with the Portuguese during his early Chelsea days.
He said: “I will never forget my first encounter with Jose Mourinho.
“It was in Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium during the 2005 League Cup Final, and the Chelsea manager rushed to the technical area to accuse my team-mate, Luis Garcia, of diving.
“Dashing to the scene, I let rip. ‘Don’t you f***ing start about diving,’ I shouted. ‘Your Porto side was the f***ing worst.’
“The altercation lasted 30 seconds. The Chelsea and Liverpool fans loved it.
“Chelsea beat us after extra-time and I was distraught. After the game Mourinho found me. His mood was much different as he offered me his commiserations.
“‘You know I was just fighting for my team, don’t you?’ he said.”
Mourinho won two Premier League titles, the FA Cup and two League Cups during his initial spell at Stamford Bridge.
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Mourinho is one of the greatest coaches of all time
Jamie Carragher
In that period between 2004 and 2007, Carragher lifted the Champions League and FA Cup with Liverpool.
And Carragher was quick to recognise the brilliant manager in West London at the time.
He added: “Although it never seemed that way in the heat of battle, the mutual respect was massive.
“Other than Sir Alex Ferguson’s best Manchester United teams, in my playing career I never faced a side that so epitomised the personality of their coach as Chelsea between 2004-07.
“I knew within a few weeks of Mourinho moving to Stamford Bridge that had he ever joined Liverpool I would have loved working for him as much as I did my favourite club managers.
“There was not a player in England who did not feel that way then, including those at United.
“The Chelsea players thought of him in the same way Liverpool’s do Jurgen Klopp today.”
Mourinho’s sacking brought to an end his 17-month stint in charge at White Hart Lane – and Carragher believes that will be the last we see of him as a Premier League manager.
But regardless of opinions on his tactics or personality, the ex-Reds defender reckons his departure is bad news.
He continued: “Say what you want about his recent record. It does not change the fact Mourinho is one of the greatest coaches of all time.
“He deserves that recognition as part of a respectful goodbye from English football because I do not see how Jose ever works again in the Premier League.
“The timing of Mourinho’s sacking is bizarre. A win over Manchester City at Wembley before a summer handshake would have made more sense.
“No one will convince me Spurs’ chances in a final would not be higher with Mourinho in the technical area, fighting for his team and taking on any rival centre-half shouting expletives in his direction.
“Without the box office manager of his generation, the interview zones and technical areas of England are already less colourful.
“If Jose Mourinho has managed his final league game in England, we should say this; love him or loathe him, it was special.”
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
