Mind Games

“The Specialist in failure”

The “not too intelligent one”

To suggest that the mind game doesn’t work and insinuating that whoever uses it is not intelligent is hilarious. It begs the question who is intelligent; the one who is intelligent enough to use it or the one not intelligent enough to know that only intelligent people can effectively employ mind games to full effect.

Mind game is a “largely conscious struggle for psychological one-upmanship, often employing passive–aggressive behavior to specifically demoralize or empower the thinking subject, making the aggressor look superior; also referred to as “power games””(culled from wiki). From this description it is glaringly clear that you’d have to be smart to employ mind games.

It brings me to what Pellegrini told British national newspapers:
“I don’t think important managers can give any importance to those mind games. And I don’t know if you think managers who seem to play mind games are more intelligent, but I don’t think so.

“I don’t have a response because I don’t know what Mourinho said. It is not my duty to analyse what Mourinho says, it is your duty.”

First he indirectly shows disregard for Mourinho by stating he isn’t important and then adds that he isn’t smart, not done there he rubs insult to injury by actually claiming that he doesn’t have a response. I mean what did he just do? All Mourinho had said was I don’t think Chelsea can win the league after the defeat to Palace. I have a feeling Mr Pellegrini must have swallowed a bottle of “not too intelligent pills”

Coming from someone who had previously stated he wasn’t responding to Mourinho’s mind games, you’d wonder his motive in deciding to engage in war of words. Mourinho’s decision to play mind games has been first and foremost to give the Chelsea team breathing space and out of the spotlight. The less important part has been to get managers worked up and concentrating on him rather than their own teams. Something we’ve seen to full effect this season.

A certain Le Professeur opened his mouth too wide the last time and got tagged “Specialist in Failure”. Let’s see what Jose has to say about this today in his prematch conference. Hopefully Mourinho will ignore what has been said.

In Nigeria there is a proverb that says “He who brings firewood infected with maggots in his house should not complain when lizards start visiting him.” Pellegrini should be ready for a backlash et tonglash well deserved if Mourinho decides to respond.

Mind Games specialist