Inter Milan coach Jose' Mourinho said Friday that he was happy to put himself in the line of fire to protect his team following press criticism over recent disappointments for the Neroazzurri.
''The last thing that I'm going to do after a match is criticise my players,'' he said, adding that he liked them ''to feel protected''.
''I never hide. The man to give a hard time to, the bad guy, the one who messed up, is me,'' he said.
Currently joint third in the Serie A league table, Inter is bidding to beat Bologna Saturday night after a loss in the Milan derby Sunday.
The Special One heard his first jeers from the Meazza faithful on Wednesday after Inter failed to beat Werder Bremen in the Champions League, drawing 1-1 with the Germans.
