Former Chelsea man Wayne Bridge has opened up on the struggles he faced while playing under Jose Mourinho, stating that his sometimes “harsh” treatment of players could mean he will no longer be able to land a top job.
With Mourinho having recently been released from his post in the Tottenham dugout, speculation is rife as to which club – or indeed country – he will end up at next.
The Portuguese tactician himself has said that he has no wish to take a break and hopes to return to action as soon as possible , but Bridge feels that his old boss might want to temper his expectations as elite clubs will be wary of his history of alienating players.
What has been said?
The list of players who had a falling out with Mourinho is a large one, with high-profile stars such as Iker Casillas, Paul Pogba, Kevin De Bruyne and even Cristiano Ronaldo making up just a small number of names.
Bridge himself was singled out for embarrassment by his former boss during his playing days, and feels that a failure to work on one-on-one relationships could spell the end of the iconic trainer's time at the top of the game.
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“When things have gone wrong maybe he hasn’t handled it the best,” Bridge told bettingexpert.com . “For me, personally, it could be quite hard with him. I felt sometimes I didn’t get a lot from him and I didn’t know what I had to do.
“There was one game in particular when I was dragged off at half time against Charlton. Not a word was said to me and I thought it was harsh. He dragged me off and I’ve seen him do it with other players before - he’s done it after 20 minutes.
“When it becomes week after week and you don’t get anything from him, it does get difficult. Top Premier League clubs might not want to touch him.”
What next for Mourinho?
Putting himself in Mourinho's shoes, Bridge added: “If it was me, I’d take a bit of time out, he’s had so many jobs and won so many trophies but he loves the game. Maybe a national team is next because he’s been at all of the big clubs.
“He could go on to manage Portugal at some stage or a Portuguese-speaking nation like Brazil, I’d like to see him get that!”
What next for Tottenham?
Spurs host Southampton in the Premier League on Wednesday ahead of a Carabao Cup final date with Manchester City at the weekend, and Bridge is of the opinion that City will secure that title – especially with Mourinho now gone.
“City will be happy that Mourinho is not the manager,” he said. “As much as he was having a tough time at Spurs, he can produce in a final, get the players up for it and get them playing well to win a trophy and beat City, which he is more than capable of.
“I think City will win. There could be a bit of a spark from Tottenham and they might seem more energised, but I just see City winning it.
“The quadruple is out of the question so they’ll want to get that trophy and they should be too good for Spurs. City will be fine despite losing at Wembley, with the quality they’ve got I can’t see them not winning it.”
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