It seems La Liga is not the only proud entity to see its reputation crushed and its credibility casually mocked by the vultures of the European media in the wake of the destruction caused by FC Bayern and Borussia Dortmund in this week’s European Champions League. For the self-styled ‘Special One’, Jose Mourinho, is also facing unprecedented criticism for his apparent failure at Real Madrid; his post-match press conference after defeat to Dortmund providing a feeding frenzy for his once-adoring disciples as his ongoing flirtation with Roman Abramovich and Chelsea reached hitherto untapped levels of soft-focus mood music love-ins….
“I know in England I am loved” whimpered a disturbingly tired-looking and physically drained Jose while displaying a chronic lack of awareness that must have shocked even the most ardent Mourinho-istas. “I know I am loved by some clubs, especially one…” he continued, failing only to flutter his eyelashes in the direction of west-London while ripping off his shirt to reveal a nude Abramovich tattooed across his chest! That Mourinho is to leave the Bernabeu in the summer is the worst-kept secret in European football – the only question-mark being when the parting of the ways occurs – but, for perhaps the first time in his managerial career, the few clubs who could satisfy his monstrous demands and vast ego are hardly queuing up to steal his signature.
I am no fan of Mourinho’s methods, but I do think to judge his tenure at the Bernabeu a failure – as many commentators have concluded in gleeful haste – is grossly unfair! He arrived at Real Madrid having secured an unprecedented treble success at Internazionale and charged with the dual-mandate of challenging a dominant FC Barcelona at home and in Europe and to deliver that elusive 10th European Cup to Real Madrid. Whilst he has failed to bring home the most coveted trophy, he has nonetheless secured a La Liga title and victory in the Copa del Rey competing against a Barcelona team that is generally regarded to be one of the finest of all time! As a Liverpool fan, I only wish our period since 2010 had been so ‘catastrophic’…..
But there are certain consistent features of a Mourinho reign that has to be brought into the equation. First of all, as an owner of a club, you must cede ALL control to the ‘Special One’ and provide him with a truly staggering transfer kitty to fund his policy of instant rebuilding the playing staff. It is no surprise that Mourinho’s nomadic managerial wanderings have taken him from FC Porto to Abramovich’s Chelsea, to the Pirelli-funded Inter and to the marble halls of the Bernabeu in Madrid. It is also no coincidence to see him currently linked to a return to Chelsea or a move to mega-rich Man City or PSG. Then you have to accept that Mourinho’s brand of man-management causes massive internal divisions and rifts throughout your club from boardroom level through to the coaching staff and into the dressing room….AND you have to accept that Jose will instigate conflict with rival managers, coaches, players and fans and alienate the media to such an extent that your club will gain no positive or constructive coverage whatsoever!
But clubs have thus far tolerated those unpalatable side-effects of appointing Mourinho for one overriding reason; Jose Mourinho is a proven winner! His rampaging tornado approach might be the total antithesis to the more noble art of gradually building a club from the bottom up in the way Sir Alex Ferguson has done at Man Utd, but he has won the domestic league title in Portugal, in England, in Italy and in Spain. He has won domestic cup competitions in all four countries and has led both Porto – relatively unfancied at the time – and Inter to European Champions League success! Chelsea had waited 50yrs for the league title in England; Mourinho delivered back-to-back EPL trophies in his first two seasons at Stamford Bridge! Inter’s owner Massimo Moratti’s obsession with regaining the European Cup – a trophy not won by the Nerazzurri since the hideously dull catenaccio days of the 1960′s – saw him dismiss Roberto Mancini – despite Mancini’s three-consecutive Serie A titles – and appoint Mourinho in 2008. Just two-years later Moratti’s quest had been fulfilled by the Portuguese’s magnificent Serie A, Italian Cup and European Cup treble!
The question facing Roman Abramovich, the Abu-Dhabi owners of Man City and the Qatari investors at PSG is to what extent are they prepared to compromise their ideals in the quest for success? Mourinho and Chelsea parted company in 2007 as a consequence of the internal strife poisoning the corridors of Stamford Bridge, but also because Abramovich had grown tired of the dull, regimented tactics favoured by the Portuguese. Yes it had brought rewards in the shape of league titles and domestic cups, but Abramovich felt that Mourinho, with the vast resources at his disposal, ought to have produced a more flowing and entertaining style of play. This season Chelsea have received praise for their open and attacking approach in the English Premier League, with Juan Mata, Eden Hazard and Oscar at the heart of a more flexible, natural and flamboyant incarnation of the deposed European Champions. Would Mourinho’s default defensive strategy, that sacrifices individual flair for team work ethic, complement the attacking instincts of those Chelsea favourites? The long trophy drought prior to his first appointment at Chelsea probably awarded him a greater degree of tolerance and acceptance of his style from club insiders and, most importantly, from the fans desperate to witness a new period of success on the field. And although you do hear Mourinho chants at Stamford Bridge – probably targeted as much to annoy Rafa Benitez as to hail their former King – I do question whether those same Chelsea fans, with a bursting trophy cabinet to admire, would be as quite so keen to see Mourinho’s functionality dilute their attacking trio?
Man City have a less-clearly defined identity under the confused tactical tinkering of Roberto Mancini and, with the Italian’s failings in Europe continuing from his days at Inter and the club arguably still in their development stage, may be prepared to allow Mourinho the freedom to impose his will upon the club? PSG are perhaps the most difficult to analyse; they are soon to be crowned French Lique champions for the first time in 20yrs and have spent heavily on flair players such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Lucas Moura. Current incumbent Carlo Ancelotti is a respected coach across Europe and PSG would surely benefit from his continued experience and stability at the helm….but rumours suggest a move to Real Madrid for the Italian? Could a job-swap be on the cards for Mourinho and Ancelotti?
FC Bayern and Borussia Dortmund have unleashed a exciting brand of high-intensity attacking football upon Europe this season, combining all the attributes of a Jose Mourinho team (tactical organisation, a strong work ethic and a solid defensive base) but with the added dimension of individual flair that Mourinho has, thus far in his career, largely overlooked. But that is not to say Mourinho is obsolete in 2013! Even in this season of supposed underachievement and embarrassing failure Mourinho has guided a divided and disunited Real Madrid – in fairness a common feature of life within the various factions at the Bernabeu – to the semi-finals of the European Champions League, a likely runners-up spot in La Liga and a Copa del Rey Final appearance! Charismatic and successful? Yes! Controversial and divisive? Certainly! But with his reported salary demands of £12M per year and the inevitable seismic splurge into the transfer market to follow, I wonder whether he can quite afford to call the shots in the same manner as he did on his arrival at Chelsea a decade ago….?