A report came out on Monday detailing thoughts on Barcelona before a game against Chelsea in 2006. Jose Mourinho has been the focus since, as he supposedly wrote the reports, but the Portuguese coach has denied that.
“Sorry to disappoint those that thought I had written the report, but I didn’t,” he said. “The reports are not mine. I did not write them.
“The last report I wrote I have at home. I was at Barcelona and it was the 1999-2000 season. I was the assistant [coach] and I shared the responsibility with other colleagues of preparing documents on our opponents.
“Since I joined Benfica until now, my analysis has never been officially documented in reports, but in ideas that help me prepare for training and plan for games. The official reports are always done by analysts, assistants and others, but never by me.”
A source revealed: Mourinho was angry about the claim he was involved in the report about Barça: “Jose doesn’t know how they came out and doesn’t want to suspect anyone.”
The report was a detailed look at Barça ahead of a Champions League game, focusing on players like Ronaldinho, Carles Puyol and an 18-year-old Lionel Messi.
Messi’s “quality and speed” was mentioned but what caught the attention was the advice to foul him: “If the option is to foul him, it’s important to do it outside the area and as soon as possible, as he’s just recovered from an injury.”
On Ronaldinho, it said he was “poor in transitions and defence” and that he was deceptive, referring to diving. The same was said about Rafa Marquez: “He fakes contact like no one else.”