Andrea Orlandi has leapt to the defence of former Albion team-mate Ashley Barnes and launched a stinging attack against Jose Mourinho.

The Chelsea chief accused Burnley striker Barnes of a "criminal" tackle on Nemanja Matic at Stamford Bridge last month.

Matic retaliated by shoving Barnes to the ground and was sent-off, ruling the Serbian midfielder out of Chelsea's Capital One Cup final victory over Spurs last weekend.

Orlandi, now with Blackpool, said: "How does he (Mourinho) dare to insinuate that a football player is a criminal? Him! I will not recall past episodes with some of his former players because I am a footballer and I know more than anybody that what happens on the pitch stays on the pitch, but he was completely out of order.

"Ashley has lots of character and he plays to the limit like most players in England, but he has never tried to harm another player. His tackle against Matic was a nasty one, I agree, but everybody should remember that it happened when he just got to the ball a tenth of a second too late, late enough to catch Matic.

"But today I want to use the video and tomorrow I don't. It all depends on who would benefit... Not very nice and certainly very arrogant. Funnily enough Mourinho didn't see one of his players stamp on Messi's foot in Madrid a while ago. End of story."

Orlandi, writing in his weekly column for Spanish football website am14.net, did not hold back with his verdict on Mourinho.

He said: "Despite being a great coach, I have despised his attitude for a while now. His campaigns against other coaches, against the referees, the commitees.

"That victimisation, his propaganda campaign and his incapacity to lose with sportmanship are things I cannot comprehend. Someone who has won that much shouldn't look for enemies where there are only rivals and he shouldn't turn any game that he loses into a battle against the world."