Psychologist backs Mourinho outbursts
Jose Mourinho has successfully taken the pressure off his players by putting the spotlight on himself again, according to top sports psychologist Andy Barton.
Chelsea are chasing the quadruple but the focus is on boss Mourinho rather than his players, following his comments over Premiership referees and, most recently, when he was reported to have criticised Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo.
Barton, who has worked with Premiership players as well performers in other sports, feels Mourinho still remains in control despite his outbursts this week which included claims for a penalty against Liverpool when Alvaro Arbeloa handled outside the area.
“Mourinho has always played with pressure and uses it as a fuel,” said Barton. “He attempts to take the pressure off his players, the more pressure he takes on board the less there is on his players.
“To deflect the interest on to himself is something he’s always done from his time in Portugal. He might get it wrong sometimes but what is not in question is that he is so inspirational to his players.”
Barton feels the Chelsea boss is coping well with the pressure, unlike Kevin Keegan 11 years ago when he famously lost his cool on live television.
“Ultimately Mourinho is still in control,” he added. “In fact, I don’t think he’s behaving any different to before, it’s just that they’re in all the competitions and he’s doing more interviews.”
Barton feels that rounding on football authorities and commenting on opponents can be part of a ploy to develop a bond among his players.
“What he’s done is form a siege mentality, like a mission where it is them against us,” added Barton, whose company The Sporting Mind is based on London.
“It unites the team like a war situation where you unite your troops against the enemy. What he’s doing is creating enemies. A lot of that is done on purpose - creating a headlines around himself – but he is also someone who tells it like it is and is very passionate about the game and doesn’t have that Britishness of holding back.
“I think he’ll be enjoying the pressure, he seems to thrive on it. He has a sense of humour too and he often talks tongue in cheek or with a twinkle in his eye and people take it at face value.”
Barton feels Mourinho and United boss Sir Alex Ferguson are the masters in dealing with pressure.
“Both of them handle pressure very well but in different ways,” said Barton. “I’d give it a draw between the manager. Ferguson has that experience, Mourinho has the ability to be quite calculating, between them it’s a fascinating contest.”
