Touchy subject.
Gary Lineker brought up an awkward subject with Steven Gerrard on Tuesday evening, before Manchester United’s 3-0 win over FC Basel in the Champions League.
Lineker and the BT Sport pundits, Gerrard, Rio Ferdinand, and Frank Lampard, were discussing Jose Mourinho and Lampard’s time with the United coach at Chelsea over 10 years ago.
Mourinho took charge at Chelsea in 2004, and guided the team to back-to-back Premier League titles and the FA Cup, helping Lampard become one of the best players in England in the process.
Lineker asked Lampard was Mourinho “difficult” to play for, and the former England midfielder conceded that the Portuguese boss is “demanding.”
“He likes conflict,” Lampard said.
“He kind of promotes conflict, not between the group, but outside, and we’ve seen that… He changed my career, he gave me a self-confidence, he was very confident in himself, he portrays that to his players. I really enjoyed it, but some players could find him too demanding.”
One player who never got to experience Mourinho’s management is Gerrard. The former Liverpool captain had the opportunity to join Chelsea over a decade ago, handing in a transfer request a few months after winning the Champions League in 2005.
The move to Chelsea never happened, as Gerrard said he couldn’t go through with leaving his boyhood club. Lineker cheekily asked Gerrard about Mourinho and Chelsea on Tuesday night, saying:
“Is it true you nearly played for him? You were close to signing for him…”
Gerrard shifted awkwardly in his chair, looking very uncomfortable and said: “I think we’ve talked about this before.”
You can watch the exchange between the pair here:
