Fabrice Muamba hails Mourinho as 'best manager of his generation'

Former Arsenal footballer Fabrice Muamba has hailed Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho as the best manager of his generation.

The former Birmingham City and Bolton Wanderers midfielder retired from the game permanently after suffering a cardiac arrest in 2012 from which he recovered although his heart stopped for more than an hour.

According to the Daily Express, Muamba said that Mourinho tactically got his makeshift starting XI right as they proved to be too strong against one of their title contenders Liverpool at a daunting Anfield on Sunday, even though Liverpool knew that victory in each of their remaining games would have meant a first title in 24 years.

However, Muamba said that Mourinho managed to boost the confidence of his players, following which they gave a strong, resilient performance against a side that were favourites to lift the championship by playing counter-attacking football and being compact defensively.

Muamba hailed Mourinho's tactic of capitalising from a rival club's mistakes as it has helped him to win more than 21 trophies with four different teams, adding that this season, Mourinho has proven he still has the hunger, passion and desire to win the Premier League despite using 'mind games' and showing frustration at referees.

Hailing the Portuguese's man-management skills, Muamba also said that despite his critics, Mourinho has gained a huge amount of respect from fellow managers around the world due to his commitment to his work, adding that he being back in the Premier League was just what English football needed after Sir Alex Ferguson retired.