Robert Huth reveals what Jose Mourinho was really like behind closed doors at Chelsea

In his own words, Robert Huth found himself "on the fringes" of first-team football during his Chelsea career, but he still looks back on that "wonderful" spell under Jose Mourinho with fond memories.

Huth, who played 23 times under Mourinho during his two title-winning seasons at Stamford Bridge, was behind the likes of John Terry, William Gallas and Ricardo Carvalho in the pecking order.

Still, he credits the self-proclaimed 'Special One' as being a “total game-changer” for his career.

Asked what Mourinho was like behind the scenes at Chelsea, Huth told SPORTbible: "Challenging, like really, really tough. He was tough on everyone, including his own staff. He was demanding, but also very, very, very human.

"We've seen in the recent documentary that he is incredibly driven, incredibly knowledgeable about the game and wants to win anything and everything. But you never felt that you couldn't go to him with a problem in your private life.

"I always found him very balanced in his approach, both on and off the pitch. But yeah, there's a reason why he's been so amazing over the last 20, 25 years, however long he's been managing."

Robert Huth on why Jose Mourinho is so respected in the game

Huth has previously claimed Mourinho had an aura about him where "you knew you had to follow him". His personality meant that competition in the squad was intense and, in his own words, every training session was like a fight.

But as mentioned above, the German appreciated his open-door policy. "He got the balance right," said Huth, who was speaking via Pokie Machines.

"From my memory, I can't think of many players who speak badly of him. I really can't think of any. That just shows how respected he is in the game. Most of the former players I hear talk about him say something very similar to what I just said.

"They love the guy, and it's not just the players that always play for him. It's people like myself who were on the fringes at times, but I still had a wonderful time."

Huth spent two seasons working under Mourinho at Chelsea. Image credit: Getty

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Robert Huth admits he was surprised by Jose Mourinho's appointment at Real Madrid

This summer, Mourinho made a somewhat surprising return to Real Madrid, 13 years after his initial departure. It came as a shock to Huth.

"Yeah, I was surprised. Obviously, it got leaked a few weeks before, but I was surprised because Madrid are a huge club and in the last few years, Jose obviously wasn't at that level of club anymore," he said.

"I think people thought he might have been... not on the way out, but on an easier trajectory towards the end of his coaching career. But no, fair play. He clearly thinks he can do it.

"That Madrid changing room... I think it's brilliant when it goes well. I really do. Obviously, they've started pretty well and you could see it high-fives and hugs and the press conference are fun and all these kind of things.

"However, the real challenge is going to come when he loses one or two games. That's when you see the personalities in the past, with Alonso obviously being there.

"The players talking to the press and all these kind of things, to the media. So, while it's going well, I think fair play, go for it. But I think the real challenge is going to be when Madrid lose one or two games."