Madrids coach praises Benficas Jose as a fatherly figure

Former Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has expressed his support for current manager Alvaro Arbeloa ahead of their upcoming Champions League match against Benfica. In a recent interview, Mourinho referred to Arbeloa as “one of my children” and stated that he would never try to make life hard for him.

Mourinho, who coached Arbeloa at Real Madrid from 2010-2013, acknowledged that his comments about inexperienced managers leading big European clubs were perceived as a criticism of Arbeloa’s appointment. However, Mourinho clarified that his words were also intended to address the appointment of Cristian Chivu at Inter Milan last year.

Mourinho described Arbeloa as “one of my favourites” and stated that he was surprised when he was offered the chance to lead Benfica in 2000. He emphasized that he wants everything to go well for Arbeloa and has not spoken to him since his appointment, as their phone numbers are complicated and only shared with family members.

Mourinho also acknowledged that he cannot analyze Arbeloa’s quality as a coach due to limited information about his work at Real Madrid’s reserves or youth teams. He expressed his concern that coaching is a difficult mission and emphasized the importance of Arbeloa being happy in his role.

The match between Real Madrid and Benfica will determine which team advances to the last 16 of the Champions League.

Source: Al Jazeera