Jose Mourinho reveals 'hurt' after criticising Chelsea boss Frank Lampard following Man Utd defeat

Joe Krishnan13 September 2019

Jose Mourinho has revealed it "hurt" him to criticise Frank Lampard after the Chelsea manager suffered a heavy defeat to Manchester United in his first game in charge.

Mourinho managed Lampard when he was a player in two spells at Chelsea - between 2004-2007 and 2013-2015 - and the duo shared a close relationship.

But that didn't stop the Portuguese tactician from singling out Lampard for his team's "soft" approach following the 4-0 defeat at Old Trafford on the opening day of the season.

Mourinho was working as a pundit for Sky Sports at the time and the jibe prompted a defiant response from Lampard, who defended youngsters Tammy Abraham and Mason Mount after they also came under scrutiny.

But the 56-year-old, who often clashed with TV pundits over their analysis of his tactics, said it "hurt" him to criticise Lampard because he understood how it felt to be attacked.

Pundit: Jose Mourinho was working for Sky Sports for Chelsea's defeat to Manchester United. Photo: PA
PA

“Sometimes as a manager, you can feel about a pundit, ‘This guy has an agenda. This guy wants to attack me. This guy wants to protect the other one’. I don’t think they don’t feel that [instinct]," he told The Telegraph.

"I think they are professional in every aspect. But what I felt when I was a pundit, they also feel.

“Saying, for example, that I felt Frank should be a little bit more pragmatic in his approach [against Manchester United]... it hurts me.

In Pictures | Chelsea vs Sheffield United | 31/08/2019

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"It is difficult to separate the professionalism of their [punditry] work with the human feeling that they have.

"I cannot blame some guy being pro-Liverpool if it is in his blood. I cannot criticise a guy being a little anti-Jose if he is not in love with Jose. You cannot separate the pundit from the man.”

Lampard has won just one of his four Premier League games in charge, a 3-2 win over Norwich City, since leaving Derby County to take over at the club where he spent 13 years as a player.

Tough start: Frank Lampard has won just once as Chelsea manager in four league games in charge. Photo: Getty Images
Getty Images

The 41-year-old faces a tough test once again on Saturday as he takes his young Blues side to Molineux to face Wolves.

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