Since the unexpected news on Wednesday night that Jose Mourinho was leaving Chelsea there has been a lot of speculation in the press as to where he will go next. Coupled with the rumours that Frank Rijkaard’s job may be on the line, it is hardly surprising that there are some who suggest that Mourinho will be Barça’s next coach. So, would “the special one” be the right man to take over at Camp Nou? First, I have to say that I have nothing but respect for Mourinho as a manager, he is a great motivator with a good tactical brain. Two league titles, a Uefa Cup and a Champions League with Porto followed by six trophies in three seasons at Chelsea really is a fantastic curriculum. He seems capable of getting results wherever he goes, and at Barça he would surely build a team with more fighting spirit than seems possible with the current coaching team.
However, Mourinho the man is another question. While his honesty impresses me, I’m afraid his character just would not be accepted at Barça. You only have to look back to the Louis Van Gaal years to recognise that the Barcelona press and public do not take kindly to arrogance. It didn’t matter that Van Gaal won the league and cup double in his first season, his confrontational manner with the press was always going to get him in trouble.
Despite spending time at Barça as assistant to both Bobby Robson and Van Gaal, Mourinho is extremely unpopular here since his gamesmanship before and after the Champions League clash between Barça and Chelsea in 2005. Mourinho accused Rijkaard of trying to influence referee Anders Frisk at half time, this led to Frisk retiring from the game after receiving death threats. A year later, Mourinho also accused Leo Messi of play acting after Asier Del Horno was sent off for fouling the Argentinian. And his declaration that Barça could not beat Chelsea when they had eleven men did not go down well either.
Football Club Barcelona has always been bigger than any individual, and in the end even a man with the self belief of Mourinho could not take on the press here and win.
2 responses so far ↓
j // Sep 21, 2007 at 16:32
fuck no
joan amenos // Sep 23, 2007 at 12:59
1.-Don’t worry,j., that’s not a bad new. At first, we must accept that’s only an idea with possibilities. Other people commented another alternative yesterday and suggested that Mourinho will be Madrid’s next coach. So, just yesterday morning Bernd Schuster said that he’s very happy and comfortable in Madrid. I have red this interview in “As” (the spanish newspaper very popular among Madrid supporters). He looks satisfied on the photos and he explains the wonderful abilities of his players. Perhaps Schuster and Rickjard have a piece of fear because Maurinho is a winner, not a loser (Nic has spoken about his fantastic curriculum).
2.-However, I like Mourinho because he’s the first european coach that has understood that actually football is not a sport or game. It’s mainly a spectacle (perhaps the bigger spectacle of the world). His comments are an important part of this theatre. Mourinho is funny, intelligent and provocative. All the journalists wish to publish his comments. Despite his gamesmanships and arrogance, people laugh about his sentences…and maybe we enjoy his clever statements on this blog.
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