A few years ago, Jose Mourinho, proclaimed himself as “the special one”.
That created an image for him that divided opinions with more or less 50% for and 50% against the Portuguese Manager.
His CV shows very impressive results: titles with Porto (multiple Portuguese cups and Leagues, UEFA Cup and the Champions League), Chelsea (2 EPL, 2 League Cup, the Community Shield and the FA Cup), Inter Milan (2 Serie A, 1 Coppa Italia, 1 Supercoppa Italiana, Champions League), Real Madrid (Copa del Rey)
For a man that makes himself sound so righteous and arrogant, his players defend him to the core and he does the same with them.
True his teams are not the most pleasing to the eyes, and most of his detractors are football purists.
Amongst them Argentinean WC champion Jorge Valdano.
Valdano was Director General and Presidential Aide at Real Madrid when the Portuguese arrived at the club.
The Argentinean, had in the past played, managed, and even been the Sporting director of the Spanish capital team.
A symbol to fans and players and a big part on therecent history of the club, Valdano showed repeatedly his disapproval of Mourinho’s ways to conduct himself with the press, the referees, the opposition, and also his tactics.
This resulted in Valdano being sacked for untenable relationship with the Manager.
To all this was a strong message that he was more important to the present of the club than the history of it.
So far the case for those who are behind him reads very well. They see results, camaraderie, titles, celebrations, etc.
Most of those who do not like Mourinho, explain that they feel that way because his arrogancy and lack of manners in general.
Others disagree with his anti-football way to approach the game, and also his off the field psychology to try to influence game officials or intimidate the opposition.
But none of those points really count for me. I am not saying that everyone should like the man, but let’s analyse things a little more cynically.
The Managers are employed by clubs. The clubs want to win games. If they win, all is fine. If a team starts losing games regularly, even if they do so whilst playing good football, who is the first one to be removed from his position? The Manager.
He has outsmarted a lot of the club owners, and even other club managers.
Mister Mourinho looks after number one, the special one.
In my opinion the pressure of modern football and the demand from everyone to win titles quickly and short term success is what has led Mourinho to be the way he is.
He should call himself “the clever one”.
He realised that unless you are in the small minority (Sir Alex or Moyes, for example), you need to build a team to win today, not in two years, not in five.
And there is where I pin responsibility on Mourinho.
I am giving the ones who want to be against him one reason to truly do so.
He became so obsessed with winning and surviving that he has forfeited one of the main things they drill into you when you start doing your coaching badges.
Football, is about caring, and developing players for the future.
You can play a visually nice game or a very defensive game that is up to you.
But as a professional Manager you have an obligation with yourself to be able to look back at your career and see not only cups and full trophy cabinets, but also players that you formed, developed and that you have helped become great.
He has never built a long lasting successful team. Here today, gone tomorrow.
Many can say that it is a testament to him that teams like Chelsea or Inter have gone downhill since his departure, to me is the opposite. It is his attitude towards the clubs he manages. As if telling all of us: What is the point of working for the long time future of this club, if I am not going to be here to see the rewards?
Clubs want instant success, Mourinho understood that well, and joined his employers in getting them that.
Unbelievable ability he has and I do not dispute that. But can he look back on his career and say; I have made such and such player a “special one”?
Leaving the sporting titles aside, look at Sir Alex Ferguson and see how he can look back and count player after player that his system of work has helped become better.
The only one so far that has seen through him is Chelsea’s owner Roman Abramovich.
As the team were winning games and titles, he realised that the players that were supposedly being developed by the youth system, were not given chances, were not progressing as he had hoped so, and therefore the natural succession plans of the club, were failing.
That is when, using the excuse that the team was “boring to watch” , he decided the exit of Jose.
My conclusions:
Mourinho is a very intelligent person who plays the same game as those who pay his wages, a fantastic tactician, a master psychologist and a winner, but also a selfish manager who never thought about doing what one sets out to do when one becomes a Manager. And that is forming and developing players for the future of the game.
That created an image for him that divided opinions with more or less 50% for and 50% against the Portuguese Manager.
His CV shows very impressive results: titles with Porto (multiple Portuguese cups and Leagues, UEFA Cup and the Champions League), Chelsea (2 EPL, 2 League Cup, the Community Shield and the FA Cup), Inter Milan (2 Serie A, 1 Coppa Italia, 1 Supercoppa Italiana, Champions League), Real Madrid (Copa del Rey)
For a man that makes himself sound so righteous and arrogant, his players defend him to the core and he does the same with them.
True his teams are not the most pleasing to the eyes, and most of his detractors are football purists.
Amongst them Argentinean WC champion Jorge Valdano.
Valdano was Director General and Presidential Aide at Real Madrid when the Portuguese arrived at the club.
The Argentinean, had in the past played, managed, and even been the Sporting director of the Spanish capital team.
A symbol to fans and players and a big part on therecent history of the club, Valdano showed repeatedly his disapproval of Mourinho’s ways to conduct himself with the press, the referees, the opposition, and also his tactics.
This resulted in Valdano being sacked for untenable relationship with the Manager.
To all this was a strong message that he was more important to the present of the club than the history of it.
So far the case for those who are behind him reads very well. They see results, camaraderie, titles, celebrations, etc.
Most of those who do not like Mourinho, explain that they feel that way because his arrogancy and lack of manners in general.
Others disagree with his anti-football way to approach the game, and also his off the field psychology to try to influence game officials or intimidate the opposition.
But none of those points really count for me. I am not saying that everyone should like the man, but let’s analyse things a little more cynically.
The Managers are employed by clubs. The clubs want to win games. If they win, all is fine. If a team starts losing games regularly, even if they do so whilst playing good football, who is the first one to be removed from his position? The Manager.
He has outsmarted a lot of the club owners, and even other club managers.
Mister Mourinho looks after number one, the special one.
In my opinion the pressure of modern football and the demand from everyone to win titles quickly and short term success is what has led Mourinho to be the way he is.
He should call himself “the clever one”.
He realised that unless you are in the small minority (Sir Alex or Moyes, for example), you need to build a team to win today, not in two years, not in five.
And there is where I pin responsibility on Mourinho.
I am giving the ones who want to be against him one reason to truly do so.
He became so obsessed with winning and surviving that he has forfeited one of the main things they drill into you when you start doing your coaching badges.
Football, is about caring, and developing players for the future.
You can play a visually nice game or a very defensive game that is up to you.
But as a professional Manager you have an obligation with yourself to be able to look back at your career and see not only cups and full trophy cabinets, but also players that you formed, developed and that you have helped become great.
He has never built a long lasting successful team. Here today, gone tomorrow.
Many can say that it is a testament to him that teams like Chelsea or Inter have gone downhill since his departure, to me is the opposite. It is his attitude towards the clubs he manages. As if telling all of us: What is the point of working for the long time future of this club, if I am not going to be here to see the rewards?
Clubs want instant success, Mourinho understood that well, and joined his employers in getting them that.
Unbelievable ability he has and I do not dispute that. But can he look back on his career and say; I have made such and such player a “special one”?
Leaving the sporting titles aside, look at Sir Alex Ferguson and see how he can look back and count player after player that his system of work has helped become better.
The only one so far that has seen through him is Chelsea’s owner Roman Abramovich.
As the team were winning games and titles, he realised that the players that were supposedly being developed by the youth system, were not given chances, were not progressing as he had hoped so, and therefore the natural succession plans of the club, were failing.
That is when, using the excuse that the team was “boring to watch” , he decided the exit of Jose.
My conclusions:
Mourinho is a very intelligent person who plays the same game as those who pay his wages, a fantastic tactician, a master psychologist and a winner, but also a selfish manager who never thought about doing what one sets out to do when one becomes a Manager. And that is forming and developing players for the future of the game.