Former Chelsea midfielder Deco has hailed Jose Mourinho's ability to use the press to his own advantage.

The 52-year-old has made headlines on more than one occasion this campaign with controversial comments about match officials, fellow managers and players.

Mourinho again grabbed the limelight on Sunday when he launched a seven-minute rant after Chelsea's loss versus Southampton, but Deco believes the former Real Madrid coach knows exactly what is he doing.

"Mourinho is probably the only coach that knows the press really well and he manages to use them to his own advantage," Deco told ESPN. "He thinks out what they are going to talk about and he uses this. Then the whole thing becomes a game, a marketing stunt.

"Sometimes he uses the press as a channel through which to motivate his players. I think he can perhaps go a bit too far with this, but he knows exactly what he's doing and he plays with the press all the time. I remember when we were at Porto and there was the rivalry with Benfica. He was a master in using the press in an unbelievable way."

Deco worked under Mourinho at Porto and has nothing but praise for his former mentor, although he feels things went wrong for the Chelsea boss at Real Madrid.

"He was not someone who talked a lot with the players," Deco added. "He just used to talk a bit during the week and then on matchday there was not much more to say.

"If you were to speak to all the players up until Real Madrid, everyone would have something good to say about him. They all loved him. But I'm not sure after Madrid. I don't think Real was good for him."