10 contradictory statements and moments from Jose Mourinho

#4 They’ll be out for how long?

Mourinho seemingly couldn't decide how long John Terry would be out in 2014

This one was a classic bit of Mourinho misdirection aimed squarely at trying to get under the skin of an opposing manager, in this case, Atletico Madrid’s Diego Simeone. The season was 2013/14, and Mourinho’s Chelsea side had drawn Simeone’s Atletico in the semi-finals of the Champions League. The first game, played at the Vicente Calderon, took place on April 22nd, 2014. It ended 0-0, but worryingly for Chelsea, both goalkeeper Petr Cech and captain and defender John Terry had to be substituted due to injuries.

Post-match saw Mourinho make two bold claims – that neither Cech nor Terry would be available for the second leg at Stamford Bridge a week later. His exact quote?

"Petr Cech's season over. Don't ask me technically, but season over. And John - we have to play the final for him to play with us."

Cech indeed didn’t play for the rest of the season, being replaced by Chelsea’s substitute keeper Mark Schwarzer. But Terry? Not only did he return to action before May's final, but he actually started the second leg of the tie on April 30th!

Mourinho’s plan was clearly to make Simeone assume he would be without his influential “captain, leader and legend” for the key tie, but in the end, the ploy didn’t help Chelsea, who were defeated 1-3 at home by Atletico and sent packing from the Champions League. Terry ended the game crying in the center circle – perhaps he’d have been better off with that injury keeping him out?

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Edited by Akhilesh Tirumala