José Mourinho proved himself at Porto, won two titles at Chelsea and is on the verge of a second Champions League final
Ten years ago this month Chelsea took a 3-1 lead to the Camp Nou in the knockout stages of the Champions League, only to have their European ambitions put into firm perspective by five Barcelona goals before a crowd of 100,000, even if they did take the second leg into extra time.
At that time Barcelona were the third best team in Spain, at least on the evidence offered by Valencia knocking them out in the next round and going on to contest the final with Real Madrid. As they have since improved to the tune of accumulating two European Cups, three La Liga titles and unofficial status as the planet's favourite team, Internazionale's 3-1 advantage from the first leg of this year's semi-final does not quite entitle the Italians to begin booking hotels in Madrid.
Yet Inter can approach Wednesday's away leg with confidence. They have the hottest property in management in charge of their team, something Chelsea in 2000 had to wait another four years for Roman Abramovich to bring about. If it is true that Abramovich's main priority has always been to win the Champions League then he should be disappointed with José Mourinho and with himself in equal measure. With the coach because, although he came close on a couple of occasions, Mourinho never managed to reach a European Cup final in his three years at Chelsea, despite a level of financial backing that was the envy of most of his rivals. With himself because the team Mourinho had moulded did reach the final in the season Abramovich prematurely called time on his turbulent coach, and would have done so again the following year but for the most erratic display of refereeing the competition has ever witnessed. It seems impossible to believe, in the light of the way Mourinho has transformed the perennial European underachievers he took over at San Siro, that a Champions League trophy would not now be sitting on Chelsea's shelf had Abramovich not chosen to waver from his original bold but beautifully simple plan.
It may not appear to have been all that bold of Chelsea to buy up the dashing young manager who had just won the Champions League with unfancied Porto, though in 2004, just before Mourinho cavalierly announced himself as the special one, it was not obvious he would be an instant success. His Uefa Cup win the previous season was chiefly recalled for a dull final against Celtic. Porto finished second behind Real Madrid in their Champions League group, though Mourinho did manage to get a good look at Didier Drogba when beating Marseille home and away. The defeat of Manchester United that pushed Mourinho unblinking into the spotlight owed everything to a Tim Howard fumble and a legitimate Paul Scholes goal that was incorrectly disallowed, while, thanks in part to excessive tinkering by Claudio Ranieri in Chelsea's semi-final first leg, Porto only had to beat the similarly unheralded Monaco in the eventual final.
The point is that Mourinho was not then the best coach in the business. He may certainly have been the sharpest, swankiest and most entertaining, but he still had something to prove in a bigger league with a bigger budget. By bringing Chelsea two league titles in his first two seasons he proved it, and Abramovich should have noted that and found a way of putting up with the background noise. Because if Inter hold on to their advantage and Mourinho takes a second team into a Champions League final, even the possibility of Louis van Gaal staking a similar claim to immortality the previous evening will not disguise the fact that Chelsea had the top man at the peak of his career and blundered by letting him go.
Mourinho's age alone makes him an attractive proposition for leading European clubs looking for longevity, not that many of them actually seem to be. At 47 Mourinho could easily enjoy another decade or longer at the top. When Chelsea got him he was three years younger than Sir Alex Ferguson when he joined Manchester United, and he rewarded them with instant success. Now it looks as though Mourinho could eventually succeed Ferguson at Old Trafford, and Chelsea would only have themselves to blame. They may have to plead with him to return to Stamford Bridge to avoid that embarrassment, although, given United's financial uncertainty and Manchester City's as yet unsecured Champions League status, a stay at Real Madrid still appears a stronger possibility. Successful or not, Mourinho could not have made it any plainer that he does not feel at home in Italy.
So the scene is set for football's showiest character to make more showy history. Should Inter conquer Barcelona and whoever they meet in Madrid, two sizeable ifs, Mourinho will not be the first coach to win the European Cup with two different clubs. Ernst Happel and Ottmar Hitzfeld have done that. Mourinho might, just might, become the first manager to win a second Champions League medal with a second club and walk away without a second glance.
Ten years ago this month Chelsea took a 3-1 lead to the Camp Nou in the knockout stages of the Champions League, only to have their European ambitions put into firm perspective by five Barcelona goals before a crowd of 100,000, even if they did take the second leg into extra time.
At that time Barcelona were the third best team in Spain, at least on the evidence offered by Valencia knocking them out in the next round and going on to contest the final with Real Madrid. As they have since improved to the tune of accumulating two European Cups, three La Liga titles and unofficial status as the planet's favourite team, Internazionale's 3-1 advantage from the first leg of this year's semi-final does not quite entitle the Italians to begin booking hotels in Madrid.
Yet Inter can approach Wednesday's away leg with confidence. They have the hottest property in management in charge of their team, something Chelsea in 2000 had to wait another four years for Roman Abramovich to bring about. If it is true that Abramovich's main priority has always been to win the Champions League then he should be disappointed with José Mourinho and with himself in equal measure. With the coach because, although he came close on a couple of occasions, Mourinho never managed to reach a European Cup final in his three years at Chelsea, despite a level of financial backing that was the envy of most of his rivals. With himself because the team Mourinho had moulded did reach the final in the season Abramovich prematurely called time on his turbulent coach, and would have done so again the following year but for the most erratic display of refereeing the competition has ever witnessed. It seems impossible to believe, in the light of the way Mourinho has transformed the perennial European underachievers he took over at San Siro, that a Champions League trophy would not now be sitting on Chelsea's shelf had Abramovich not chosen to waver from his original bold but beautifully simple plan.
It may not appear to have been all that bold of Chelsea to buy up the dashing young manager who had just won the Champions League with unfancied Porto, though in 2004, just before Mourinho cavalierly announced himself as the special one, it was not obvious he would be an instant success. His Uefa Cup win the previous season was chiefly recalled for a dull final against Celtic. Porto finished second behind Real Madrid in their Champions League group, though Mourinho did manage to get a good look at Didier Drogba when beating Marseille home and away. The defeat of Manchester United that pushed Mourinho unblinking into the spotlight owed everything to a Tim Howard fumble and a legitimate Paul Scholes goal that was incorrectly disallowed, while, thanks in part to excessive tinkering by Claudio Ranieri in Chelsea's semi-final first leg, Porto only had to beat the similarly unheralded Monaco in the eventual final.
The point is that Mourinho was not then the best coach in the business. He may certainly have been the sharpest, swankiest and most entertaining, but he still had something to prove in a bigger league with a bigger budget. By bringing Chelsea two league titles in his first two seasons he proved it, and Abramovich should have noted that and found a way of putting up with the background noise. Because if Inter hold on to their advantage and Mourinho takes a second team into a Champions League final, even the possibility of Louis van Gaal staking a similar claim to immortality the previous evening will not disguise the fact that Chelsea had the top man at the peak of his career and blundered by letting him go.
Mourinho's age alone makes him an attractive proposition for leading European clubs looking for longevity, not that many of them actually seem to be. At 47 Mourinho could easily enjoy another decade or longer at the top. When Chelsea got him he was three years younger than Sir Alex Ferguson when he joined Manchester United, and he rewarded them with instant success. Now it looks as though Mourinho could eventually succeed Ferguson at Old Trafford, and Chelsea would only have themselves to blame. They may have to plead with him to return to Stamford Bridge to avoid that embarrassment, although, given United's financial uncertainty and Manchester City's as yet unsecured Champions League status, a stay at Real Madrid still appears a stronger possibility. Successful or not, Mourinho could not have made it any plainer that he does not feel at home in Italy.
So the scene is set for football's showiest character to make more showy history. Should Inter conquer Barcelona and whoever they meet in Madrid, two sizeable ifs, Mourinho will not be the first coach to win the European Cup with two different clubs. Ernst Happel and Ottmar Hitzfeld have done that. Mourinho might, just might, become the first manager to win a second Champions League medal with a second club and walk away without a second glance.
No comments:
Post a Comment