London - Jose Mourinho has taken a swipe at Steven Gerrard as the Chelsea manager slammed claims of a rift with his axed captain John Terry.
Mourinho left Terry on the bench for Chelsea's 4-0 victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv in their Champions League opener at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.
His decision to drop Terry came just weeks after he hauled off the veteran defender at half-time when Chelsea were beaten at Manchester City.
LA Galaxy midfielder Gerrard, working as a television pundit for the Chelsea match, claimed Mourinho's treatment of Terry must be due to a fracturing of their relationship.
"There's certainly a bit of friction behind the scenes because for me, you play John Terry week in, week out, he's your captain," Gerrard told BT Sport.
But Mourinho was quick to rubbish that suggestion when quizzed about the former Liverpool star's comments.
"Steven is wrong," Mourinho said.
"I like him very much and respect him. I think he feels the same way but he is wrong because we have no problems."