Barcelona legend slams Jose Mourinho's brand of football

Jose Mourinho is respected and hated in equal measure. His pragmatic style of football has won him several trophies but over the years, we have seen how his own teams' fanbases grow tired of seeing the same defensive approach week in and week out.

Even at Manchester United, a club that was revered for their attacking mentality, Jose Mourinho has laid the safety-first rule. As a result, several reports have surfaced that claim that players are unhappy and are looking to ship out.

However, following a torrid start to the new season, Mourinho has been forced to afford a sense of freedom to his players and it looks like the Red Devils are thriving on it. On the back of two inspiring displays, United will perhaps go into tonight's match against Juventus with a spring in their step and there is a positive feeling enveloping the club after a dire spell in the early stages that saw them go winless at Old Trafford since the opening day of the season.

Now, Barcelona legend Xavi has come out and criticized Jose Mourinho's on-field tactics. Xavi was a part of the Barcelona team that was defeated in the 2010 UEFA Champions League semi-final by Mourinho's Inter Milan who were the ultimate underdogs.

Speaking to Corriere Dello Sport, Xavi said,

"Mourinho is a very defensive coach.

“Playing against his Inter (in 2010) was not easy. That’s his style, and he put it into practice at Chelsea and Real Madrid too.

“He takes care of all the details, he closes the gaps and he doesn’t give you much.

“I prefer another style of football.

"I’m not criticising, but I don’t like playing like that and my teams will never have that kind of attitude.”

Clearly, the former Real Madrid manager and the Barcelona legend belong to different schools of thought and it is also highly unlikely that Xavi will have fond memories of Jose Mourinho.

It will be interesting to see how Mourinho will address Xavi's comments or if he will address it at all.