Former Inter defender Christian Chivu was recently interviewed by Fox Sports and shared some insights from the 2 seasons he spent under Portuguese manager José Mourinho.
The Romanian defender who was part of Inter’s all conquering treble winning side in 2010 explained that “when he saw that we were tired, he would give us between 2 to 3 days of rest, even at times we could get a week off. This occurred during non international breaks and during the regular season.”
Chivu explained that Mourinho’s decision to give the players a break resulted in them wanting to fight for Mourinho even more, revealing that “he observed us in such a way that when he saw us tired, both physically and mentally, he advised us to return to practice the following Monday, but when we returned to practice we needed to give it our all which we always did.”
Chivu spent 7 seasons with the Nerazzurri winning 8 titles, including the Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup.