Former Chelsea stalwart John Obi Mikel has opened up about the infamous incident in which Jose Mourinho made Mohamed Salah cry. And the Stamford Bridge icon defended his former boss, suggesting Mourinho's brand of tough love was a test for his players.
'The Special One' has long been regarded as one of the taskmasters of his trade, but one who more often than not gets results. Sadly, that wasn't the case for Salah, who left west London with a whimper before coming back to England to write history at Liverpool.
Specifically, it was a half-time substitution against Norwich City in May 2014 that appeared to break their relationship beyond repair. And Mikel went into detail about the ordeal, which left Salah crying in response to his manager's criticism.
"Fantastic guy, amazing. Not just [as] a coach, but a human being as well," said Mikel when asked about Mourinho on That Peter Crouch Podcast. "He's someone you can speak to, someone you can connect with. But [he] obviously has his ways of trying to get the best out of players.
"Sometimes did he cross the line? Of course he did. Of course, he did cross the line sometimes, the way he spoke to players. Especially younger players. But it was just that era of him trying to get the best out of players.
"He did that with Mo Salah when he had a go at him in the dressing room, and Mo Salah started crying, and he took him off. Sometimes when you have a go at players, you just have a go and take them off! Or you have a go and let them go back into the game and try to correct whatever mistake it was. But sometimes he does that and tells you, 'You're not going back in.' It's a double whammy, isn't it?"
Salah's job that day, more than a decade ago, was complicated by the fact that he was deployed in an unnatural midfield role. And his replacement, Eden Hazard, didn't fare a lot better as the Blues ended up drawing 0-0 at home.
The Egyptian icon only made a handful more appearances for Chelsea before he was shipped off on loan to Fiorentina in February 2015. That was the beginning of the end of his first stint in England, as an improvement in form saw Roma snap him up before Liverpool then came calling.
John Obi Mikel appears on That Peter Crouch Podcast
John Obi Mikel detailed the incident on That Peter Crouch Podcast (Image: That Peter Crouch Podcast)
All in all, Salah scored twice and laid on three assists in 19 appearances for the Blues. Those figures can't begin to compare with the 245 goals and 113 assists he has contributed in 401 outings for the Reds, where a different approach clearly proved key to him hitting his peak.
Despite having his own reputation for being able to change moods, Jurgen Klopp is better known for his friendly approach to man management. And it seems only too coincidental that Salah soared under the German, even developing his own wicked streak as time has gone on.
Jose Mourinho (R) gives instructions to Chelsea's Egyptian midfielder Mohamed Salah (L)
Salah made just 19 appearances under Mourinho at Chelsea, scoring twice (Image: GLYN KIRK/AFP/Getty Images)
Looking back now, Mourinho may wish he had taken a softer stance with the player, who was only 22 when he arrived at Stamford Bridge. And one can only imagine what more Chelsea might have achieved over the past decade if they benefited from the Salah fans know today, rather than Liverpool.
Mourinho went on to lead Chelsea to the Premier League title for a third time in 2015 before his second spell ended in tears later that year. The Special One is now hoping to add to his trophy collection at Fenerbahce, while Salah is a frontrunner for the Ballon d'Or after guiding the Reds to Premier League glory for the second time.
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Chelsea flag prior the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Leg One match between Chelsea FC and Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge. (Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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