Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has congratulated Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho on his tactics during his sides 2-0 defeat to the Blues. Mourinho revealed that Rodgers phoned him on Tuesday night to admit that the Portuguese boss had got his approach spot on.  “Brendan is a manager and is somebody I consider my friend,” the Chelsea manager was reported as saying by The Independent.

Rodgers congratulates Mourinho on game tactics

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has congratulated Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho on his tactics during his sides 2-0 defeat to the Blues.

Mourinho revealed that Rodgers phoned him on Tuesday night to admit that the Portuguese boss had got his approach spot on.

“Brendan is a manager and is somebody I consider my friend,” the Chelsea manager was reported as saying by The Independent.

“Of course I know his words after the match, but I also know his words today, and today he told me congratulations for a great victory and a great performance.”

Mourinho went on to say that all is forgiven and forgotten between him and the Liverpool manager: “Because I consider him a friend and someone I like, I prefer to forget the words after the match and I keep today’s word.”

And in tones that could be construed as slightly condescending, The Independent also reported that he said: “He’s an intelligent guy. He watched the match for sure on video and, now, I think he understood what happened.”

Chelsea take on Atletico Madrid on tonight in the second-leg of their Champions League semi-final at Stamford Bridge, and all eyes will be the former Real Madrid’s selection and tactics following his weekend triumph.

They will have to stop the away side from poaching an all-important away goal, and that could result in another ground out win for Mourinho and his side.

And Mourninho, according to The Indepdent, said that he will not be playing ‘stupid’ football. “If your opponents are very fast on the counter and want space behind your defensive line, if you give them that space you are stupid.”

“I remember in my first period here,” he continued. “I said if you have a goalkeeper like Petr Cech who puts the ball in the opponents’ box, and a striker like Didier Drogba who wins everything in the air, why play short?

And while he will undoubtedly want to win the tie, he also wants his players to enjoy the occasion. “There are some matches that are special,” he said. “The match every player wants to play is the Champions League final, but after that game it’s the second leg of the Champions League semi-final. So we have to enjoy it.”

Whatever the result, the Champions League final will be a special occasion. After Real Madrid humbled Bayern Munich in Munich on Tuesday night, it will either be a Madrid derby, or a game that sees Mourinho take on his former club, with Real manager Carlo Ancelotti doing the same.

Meanwhile, Madrid forward Gareth Bale has said that the victory justified his move to Spain from Tottenham Hotspur. The BBC reported that he said: “This is why I came to the biggest club in the world – to win trophies and play in massive games.”

“It’s a fantastic result for us. We’ve been working hard, got our tactics right and deserved the win.”

The next game Liverpool play is against Crystal Palace on the 5th of May, before they take on Newcastle United on the 11th in the last game of the season.

Chelsea, on the other hand take on Norwich City and Cardiff City as they look to apply pressure on the league leaders.

This article was written and donated by Russell Hughes, a freelance journalist who writes for FootballTips.info