Chatting about Mourinho
I always enjoy our Rust football get-togethers with the various perspectives and indeed learn more than reading the soccer press who seem more obsessed with sensationalism than forensic consideration of the issue of football. Before a Fulham game we all gathered in a trattoria – Stefano over from Italy buying a Peter Doig on behalf of a client, Alan, Ivan and a young Interista (supporter of Inter Milan).
The conversation turned to Jose Mourinho. The interista was asked if Mourinho was the most responsible for their title triumph as well as the Champions League and Coppa their first trophies since Roberto Mancini. The answer was a conditional yes. There was also a group of South Americans – mainly Argentine, Javier Zanetti, Walter Samuel, Recoba, Milito , Cambiasso, Lúcio, Thiago Motta who gave the team heart and grinta (bottle).
Alan made the point that you could field a Premier-winning side of players Mourinho discarded from Chelsea: De Bruyne, Luiz, Costa, Salah, Caudrado.
Ivan stated that he has never known Chris Hughton to fall out with any player publicly, let one who cost £100m (Pogba).
We could see the rationale of Manchester United in appointing him.
There was the concern that, as happened after Matt Busby, United would have to wait 23 years for a league title but worse, that City would win many in the interim. They needed a serial winner of trophies and Mourinho was such a man.
The collective view was that he might be good for the press as a creator of stories, but he was not so good for the game: inflated transfer fees, spats with managers and officials, his overdeveloped sense of perceived injustice, his lack of any encouragement of youth – none of these enhanced the game.
Antonio Conte fell for the trap but Pep Guardiola maintained a dignified silennce. To be fair to Fergie he not only accommodated a maverick like Erci Cantona within his system but he positively flourished. Fergie was in tune with the traditions of George Best.
On the press , Stefano said Italian football writers would criticise tactics and often did so vehemently but a personal life was off limits. To an extent this is true here . The press love nothing more than a sex scandal involving a manager or player but you read almost nothing of the family of Mourinho. Alan pointed out his son is goalkeeper at the Fulham Academy and whenever he spoke to one of the senior coaches there he only had praise for the helpfulness of Mourinho. I guess like Brian Clough – though not even Mourinho would win league titles at Derby and Nottingham Forest- you simply cannot predict nor second guess him .He has a degree in physchology and there is the theory that the Mourinho cult of the Special One makes him the star and takes pressure off his team
We speculated where Mourinho might go after United. the answer is easy: PSG.
He can spend £500m and the Qatari owners might well think that with him they can challenge Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern.
The view around the table was that he would not.
