Jose Mourinho as a pundit has turned out to be a very interesting thing.
Happy to stoke the fires of controversy as a manager, Mourinho has largely brought a measured, thoughtful approach to his commentator’s seat. He’s also been fairly funny, like his quip about Man City’s B Team as a candidate to win the league.
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A big part of this is Mourinho’s lack of bias, which is perhaps the most surprising part of it all given his readiness to take digs at old rivals like Arsene Wenger and Rafa Benitez during his time as a Premier League manager.
Consider Frank Lampard. Mourinho was not shy about the Chelsea manager’s mistakes against Manchester United, but not because it was his former job or a desire for headlines. Mourinho just didn’t like the Chelsea man’s job that day (and Lampard didn’t particularly enjoy the criticism).
This weekend, however, sees Mourinho backing Lampard on the whole, and “The Special One” thinks Chelsea’s current boss will be able to use the composition he usually displayed as a player to grow as a boss.
“He plays for big things,” Mourinho said. “He plays Champions League, he played a European Super Cup, he had already big matches in his hands, and he has to grow up with the level of experiences, which I believe he can because he has huge experience.”
Chelsea faces Wolves in a very challenging match at 10 a.m. ET Saturday (Watch live online on NBC Sports Gold).
