Dirty TackleXavi criticizes Jose Mourinho and Roberto Di Matteo’s lack of a ‘legacy’
Barcelona midfielder and tireless critic of everything Xavi would once again like to remind you that he doesn't care for Jose Mourinho or the way his teams play football. And as an added bonus, he is even throwing in some criticism of Roberto Di Matteo's brief but successful reign at Chelsea.
From Goal.com:
“Pep Guardiola is an important person for me - Jose Mourinho is a coach who focuses only on results,” Xavi told Panenka magazine. “He says he is ‘The Special One’ because he won this and that in so many countries but I do not like the way his teams play.
“Who remembers the Inter side who were champions of Europe? For me, he has not left a legacy, unlike Cruyff has in the Netherlands.”
Well, I'm pretty sure Inter fans have very fond memories of winning the treble in 2010. Just because Barcelona turned the sprinklers on during Inter's celebration after winning the semifinal at the Camp Nou with just 10 men doesn't mean no one can remember something that happened three years ago and a half.
“Di Matteo was the same [as Mourinho]," the playmaker argued. "He won the Champions League, but from my point of view that team didn’t play at all.
“I am happy playing for Barca because of our philosophy.”
Outscoring Barcelona in a thrilling semifinal and then coming from behind to beat Bayern Munich on penalties in an even more entertaining final is quite impressive for a team that "didn't play at all." But in all of Xavi's many laments about defensive football, he fails to realize that many people now find Barcelona's philosphy just as boring as he finds Mourinho's or Di Matteo's. One team playing keep away amongst themselves for 75 percent of a match can be just as monotonous as parking the bus.
That's the beauty of football and the world at large, though. If everyone had the same philosophy or only did things one way it wouldn't be any fun at all. It's great that Xavi enjoys the way his club plays, but it would also be great if he could be more tolerant of differing views.
- - - - - - -
is the editor of Dirty Tackle on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him or follow on Twitter!
