Thiago Silva Slams Jose Mourinho, Accuses Chelsea Boss of Disrespecting PSG

Paris Saint-Germain captain Thiago Silva has accused Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho of showing a lack of respect to the French outfit.

The defender’s header in extra-time was the decisive strike in the Parisians’ away goals triumph at Stamford Bridge, as the French champions rallied from behind twice despite being down to 10 men for 90 minutes of the 120-minute epic.

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Silva has insisted revenge didn’t motivate this team to victory—Chelsea knocked PSG out of the competition at the quarter-final stages last season—but has slammed the conduct of Mourinho in the build-up to the matches, per Chris Davie of goal.com:

"

It was not revenge. But they didn't respect us, especially Mourinho.

After the draw, he said he preferred to play against PSG because Paris was near London and it was easier for supporters to come.

But I don't think that was the reason. Mourinho said that because of his win against us last year.

"

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Looking at the languid displays turned in by Chelsea in both legs, it’s tough to disagree with his assessment that the Blues considered PSG to be a soft touch. After all, Mourinho’s bolstered squad are romping to the Premier League title, while the Parisians have been very frustrating on the domestic front this season; perhaps they did think the tie was sewn up.

However, it seems as though the Chelsea manager did show some grace in defeat, per indykalia news:

The words of Silva definitely lend some insight into the incentive Mourinho’s comments provided in the build-up to the game, though. Throughout the two legs the French champions were ferocious, intense and purposeful in everything they did and even when they were reduced to 10 men at Stamford Bridge, they were by far the superior team.

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Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney paid tribute to the efforts of the PSG players:

It seems as though Mourinho’s barbs have stirred something in this group of players that wasn’t prevalent prior to this tie. The quality has always been there in this PSG side, but in narrow, knockout encounters, they’ve never quite boasted the belief needed to make it through against elite opposition.

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Indeed, as we can see here courtesy of Sky Sports News HQ, PSG are an outfit that seem to flourish in the face of adversity:

After their fine display over two legs against a team many expected to win the tournament, they will fear nobody moving forward. With that in mind, while Silva is clearly unhappy with the crassness of Mourinho’s words prior to the matches, perhaps it was exactly the jolt this PSG team needed as they go in search of their maiden Champions League triumph.

Mourinho’s words are nothing new and his admittance in the aftermath of the match that the Ligue 1 team deserved to go through was actually uncharacteristically classy on his part. But you suspect this result will do little to alleviate comparable instances further down the line because more often than not, like it or otherwise, they typically help his team over the line.