‘That’s exactly what happened’ – Shaun Wright-Phillips recalls when Jose Mourinho predicted Chelsea’s dramatic FA Cup quarter-final against Tottenham in 2007
There's a reason everyone called Jose Mourinho 'the Special One' during his first spell in England.
Not only because it's the nickname he gave himself, Mourinho was also just a little bit different to the other managers in the Premier League.
Who else publicly predicts the entire opposition XI before the match? Who else bangs on about Waitrose eggs in their press conferences?
And he delivered results on the pitch to match his aura, which some claim he has lost down the years.
One of his former players, Shaun Wright-Phillips, tells us Mourinho almost verged on psychic during his first reign at Chelsea.
Ahead of the current Spurs manager's highly-anticipated meeting with his former club this Sunday, Wright-Phillips recalls a classic FA Cup tie between the sides in 2007.
Chelsea emerged victorious after a replay at White Hart Lane, despite trailing 3-1 at half-time during the first match at Stamford Bridge.
But Wright-Phillips insists that, remarkably, it was all part of the plan.
He told talkSPORT: “It was Chelsea vs Spurs. He came up to me on the Wednesday or the Thursday, the game was on Saturday.
“He said, ‘Shaun, you’re not going to start. But if we’re down at half-time, we’re going to bring you on and we’re going to draw. Then when we play them in the replay, we’ll go there and win 2-1’.
“That’s exactly what happened. We were 3-1 down at half-time. He brought me on (at right-back in the 34th minute). We finished 3-3. And then we went to White Hart Lane and won 2-1.
“He used to be able to dictate situations. It’s like he could feel this was going to happen.”
And it was actually Wright-Phillips who grabbed the winner in the replay at White Hart Lane.