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Many managers have taken players under their wings and improved them. If they find anything wrong with the players' attitude or playing style, they immediately talk to them in private. Many a time these private pep talks work for the manager and the player comes out as an improved version of himself.
But while players like to be criticized and talked to in private, few managers have gone on to criticize them in public. Some players have become world-beaters after receiving such criticism. However, several others did not take kindly to their public bashing and even cost the manager his job (Jose Mourinho will testify to that).
Let's take a look at five such instances when managers criticized their players in public:
#5 Jurgen Klopp
Jurgen Klopp does not have a reputation for publicly criticizing his players. In fact, he has always been close with his squad wherever he has gone and his players will certainly testify to that.
But Klopp broke his character after Liverpool's 4-1 Premier League loss against Tottenham in 2017 when he criticized Dejan Lovren for the defender's mistakes.
Lovren's calamitous defensive performance resulted in two early Spurs goals and he was substituted after just 31 minutes. Klopp criticized him after the game, saying:
"The first goal was a little throw-in and we are not really there, It was just really bad, bad, bad defending. The second, a counter attack, when the ball passes Lovren it is already too late.
"If I am involved in this situation on the pitch, then Harry cannot get the ball. It wouldn't happen if I was on the pitch, but I am in the middle of the technical area in trainers."
Fortunately for Liverpool, it did not have much of an effect on the duo's relationship. Lovren ended his Liverpool career under Klopp on a high as he won the Champions League and the Premier League before departing for Russia in 2020.
#4 Harry Redknapp
Harry Redknapp has gone through various clubs as a manager and has never been shy to express his displeasure towards players during his managerial days.
One such incident came back in 2009 when Redknapp was the manager of Tottenham Hotspur.
Spurs only managed to earn a 1-1 draw against a struggling Portsmouth side. In the dying stages of the match, Darren Bent had a glorious chance to win the match for Spurs but he somehow managed to head the ball wide.
During the post-match interview, Redknapp criticized Bent's miss by claiming:
"You will never get a better chance to win a match than that. My missus could have scored that one. Bent did not only have part of the goal to aim for, but he had the entire net - and he put it wide. Unbelievable"
Although it did not have an immediate effect, Bent's relationship with the manager started to deteriorate and the striker left the club in 2009.
Redkapp left Spurs in 2012. His last managerial stint was with Birmingham City in 2017.
#3 Maurizio Sarri
Maurizio Sarri arrived at Chelsea in 2018 after his successful stint with Napoli in Serie A. Though he had an excellent start at Stamford Bridge, his team started to stutter midway through the season, which frustrated the manager.
After Chelsea's 2-0 loss against Arsenal in January, Sarri's frustrations boiled over. In the post-match dismantling of his players, who he suggested were unable to motivate themselves for encounters with top-six rivals, Sarri said:
"It seems we really struggle to get ourselves up for these games. I'm really angry about the approach that we adopted today. You can find yourself in difficulties from time to time, but we need to react to those difficulties a lot better than we did today. It was the same in our game against Tottenham [lost 3-1]. We thought we'd overcome that problem. I don't mind losing, but I don't like losing in this manner."
Sarri's methods even angered the Chelsea fans as they started criticizing him. He eventually did manage to win the Europa League but the Italian never settled at Chelsea and returned to Italy with Juventus after just one season.
His tenure in Turin was also short as he was unable to guide Juventus to the Champions League and was subsequently sacked. Sarri was appointed manager of Lazio last summer.
#2 Sir Alex Ferguson
Sir Alex Ferguson preached in 2009 that he would not criticize one of his own players in public.
"I would not criticise one of my own players publicly. When you make public criticism of your players, you damage morale."
But Manchester United's greatest ever manager has broken his code on several occasions. From David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo to Wayne Rooney and Johnny Evans, Ferguson has criticized many players publicly during his time at United.
One such occasion happened when Sir Alex Ferguson expressed his displeasure towards Cristiano Ronaldo, who wanted to leave Manchester United in 2009. Ferguson said:
"It's hard when a player who wants to entertain doesn't get everything his own way. But you can't get everything your own way."
In this instance, his man-management seemed to have worked as Ronaldo scored that wonderful goal against Porto just three days later. The Portuguese, however, did leave for Real Madrid in the summer of 2009.
Ferguson retired from management in 2013 after being in charge of Manchester United for 27 years. He won 13 Premier League titles and two Champions Leagues during his time at the club and is rightly considered one of the best coaches to ever grace the game.
#1 Jose Mourinho
No surprises here. Jose Mourinho is not afraid to criticize his players publicly if he feels it is needed. However, he has had mixed results throughout his career in this regard.
Either his players have improved a lot after the criticism or they have been angered by his comments and the way they were treated.
Mourinho criticized Joe Cole during his first stint at Chelsea in 2004. The Portuguese said:
When he scored the goal the game finished for him. After that I needed 11 players for my defensive organisation and I had just 10.
Cole responded to his manager's tough love by establishing himself as a regular for both club and country.
Mourinho also criticized Paul Pogba and Luke Shaw on numerous occasions during his time at Manchester United but the pair never really got going under him. This ultimately cost him his job at United.
The latest player to fall victim to his criticism was Tanguy Ndombele, who he had taken a swipe at on several occasions during his time at Tottenham. One such occasion came after a draw with Burnley when Ndombele was substituted after just 45 minutes.
"In the first half we didn’t have a midfield… I’m not going to run away and I have to say he [Ndombele] has had enough time to come to a different level. I know the Premier League is difficult, and some players take a long time to adapt to a different league. But a player with his potential has to give us more than he is giving us, especially when you see how Lucas, Lo Celso and those players are playing. I was expecting more in the first half from him."
Mourinho was sacked by Tottenham in April after he failed to inspire them to a top-four finish. He won the inaugural UEFA Europa Conference League with Roma last season.
