'This is what Jose Mourinho is really like - all our encounters have been the same'

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Former Premier League defender Joleon Lescott says that Jose Mourinho has only ever been polite to him. The Portuguese boss returned to England in midweek with Benfica .

Mourinho is undoubtedly one of the most charismatic figures to grace football management. During his years at the top with Porto, Real Madrid and Inter, as well as in England with Chelsea , Manchester United and Tottenham , Mourinho never shied away from anything .

His spells in north London and Manchester did not live up to the three top-flight titles he won at Stamford Bridge, and after time with Roma and Fenerbahce he now finds himself in charge of Benfica. His new side traveled to England this week to face Chelsea in the Champions League , losing 1-0.

The Special One's fiery temper is infamous , but Lescott, who played against the manager for the likes of Everton , West Brom and Aston Villa , has only kind things to say about Mourinho.

Asked on In The Mixer , brought to you by Sky Bet, whether he has had any interactions with Mourinho, Lescott said: "Yeah, they were all positive. He's very pleasant and polite.

"Obviously his team were dominating when I encountered him, but I think it's his man management that separates him. I think he has a personal aspect to his management that not many managers find easy. But he does find it easy.

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"Tactically he's changed the game too. For good and for bad sometimes. But regarding his man management… As a player, you want to know you're playing for someone you can trust and you might not always like what they're saying. But you know it's the truth.

"I remember Patrick Vieira said when he was at Inter and he subbed him off at half-time. When he went back to speak to him, Mourinho already had the video ready. He had it ready to dissect. He said, 'Then you just have to eat the humble pie.'"

Mourinho's career has slightly dwindled since his impressive years in west London, and his spells with both Tottenham and United were relatively lacklustre. Before taking on the Benfica job, he was sacked by Fenerbahce after poor performances.

Lescott thinks that this downfall is primarily due to how Mourinho manages his players. He added: "I think the mentality of players has changed which he has found difficult. Because you can't be as truthful to this generation. You've got to baby them. I think you've got to play into their needs.

"At Chelsea, he didn't need to do that for one and he had the power of being so successful that [Roman] Abramovich was going to back him kind of thing. It's hard to fail there but you can.

"Plenty of managers did at Chelsea. It's hard to manage them and he managed them perfectly so I think that would be the adaptation for him. Tactically I don't think he needs to adapt so I think it's the management style and how you treat players."

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