This seasons La Liga is going to be like never before, with the arrival of the self proclaimed special one things are only going to get intense. Most would think me being a Barcelona fan and writing about a Real Madrid Manager might send a signal of me being worried of FCB being dethroned or even worse but I for one would love for Mourinho to have a go at FCB this time and would love it all the more if he is proved wring. Without deviating from the topic we shall try to have a look at Jose Mourinho's history and his relation with FCB and his supporters. This is done because in my opinion his stay in Madrid will be based on his ability to defeat FCB and win silverware at the same time.
Jose Mourinho started as a very young assistant coach at F.C. Barcelona, even though he was officially a translator for the then manager Louis Van Gaal,and before him, also to Sir Bobby Robson. He would be the one who would supervise all the junior team training sessions. It is said that it was here he started building up as a tactical genius, he had an eye for the smallest of the details that could matter the most in crunch time.
Below we see him with Bobby Robson
Then after departing from Barcelona and firstly working with Benifica and then managing FC Porto to Champions League glory. This was the time when he came to the big stage and every one finally recognized him. He had already established his position as an outspoken Manager who was hardworking and believed in the theory of ends justifying the means. For him winning is everything, Once upon being asked why he was so arrogant by a reported, his reply was, " I am the European Champion ." followed by the smallest of grins and that said it all.....The Special one had arrived.
And no sooner was he the manager of Chelsea football Club which in my opinion has been his best managerial stint so far. Even though he did not win the Champions League, he managed to win the EPL twice in a row establishing his home ground as his team's fortress which till day remains intact, at least in the league system..
It was here when he fist came up against the Catalan giants in the champions league of 2005 in the group of 16 where the two legged tie was nothing more than a drama scene for everyone to watch with Mourinho accu
sing the then Barca manager Frank Rijkaard of influencing the referees to such an extent that the referee incharge of the game would receive death threats. Eventually they got through only to be ousted by Liverpool in the semi-final.
No sooner than the next Champions League top 16 would these teams meet again. In the thick of a tense air at Stamford bridge, the first leg was perhaps one of the most out of control games in the histroy of europe which saw the Chelsea defender Alessandro Del Horno being sent of for a needless tackle on the then youth prodigy and the current player of the year, Lionel Messi.
This led to a new experience in Mourinho's reign...his first defeat at Stamford Bridge. He went out saying that Messi was play acting and Barcelona being a cultural city, the boy has spent more time in theaters and not the training academies. Messi was injured and out for the rest of the season, eventually Barcelona went on to win the Champions League.
Eventually he was sacked form the post of manager not because of his performance as a manager but largely due to his arrogance and his ego clashes with the club owner Roman Abramovich.
Few months of vacations and he was back...this time with the Italian Champions. F.C. Internaziaonale. His arrogance saw him against a very stubborn Italian media where he was constantly criticized for killing the game, surprising to come from the media and fans of the league that produces arguably the most boring games. The criticism reached its peak when the starting lineup of the nerrazzuri ( non italians) did not even consist on a single italian player.
Then came the champions league group stages and the Italian Champions were in the same group. Those two game turned out to be way under par but they were soon going to lock horns again in the semi-final. This time Mourinho did everything right. He first defeated his beloved Chelsea and when asked about not winning the champions league with his formal club, he said that the players were never that hungry to win it in the first place, which personally I found very disgusting as it was a total lack of respect for the players and the fans of Chelsea who loved him as a manager.
Then came the first leg of the semi-final at San Siro, Barcelona lost 3-1 in spite of scoring first and Jose completely outplayed his counterpart Josep Guardiola. The second leg battle became more important than ever. He made it personal by saying that his dream was pure and Barcelona's dream was just an obsession to win the house of their rival Real Madrid. He decided to park an Aeroplane in front of the Barcelona goal, they did concede in the 84th minute with Gerard Pique's well taken goal and Bojan Krkic found the back of the net in injury time only for the goal to be wrongly disallowed as hand ball but the replays later showed that the hand ball by Yaya Toure was not an advantage in any way and the goal should have stood but that is sport, you win some and you lose some. This became his ticket to Real Madrid.
Inter went on to win the champions league defeating Bayern Munchen 2-0 in the final.
During the Summer of 2010 Mourinho finished his transfer to Real Madrid and now is his biggest test. He is up against the most impatient owner and the evermore demanding fans of Madrid who are already dreaming of a Wembley presence this year. Much will be dependent on how he copes up with Fiorentino Perez, the rich and arrogant owner of the club. Only time will tell if it turns out to be deja vu for Mourinho or Barcelona.
It is a fact that Mourinho has never lost at home in a league, it is also a fact that Barcelona are the only team to defeat him in his backyard be it in champions league. It is a fact that he has been successful in taming the little magician named Lionel Messi but its also a fact that he has never won at the Camp Nou. He is the most hated figure at the place where he started. Whatever one would say, Mourinho delivers the results, but till now he has never been faced with FC Barcelona in the league, as I said earlier much will depend on how he deals with the force of the catalan giants no matter what happens we are in for a treat of a lifetime. May the best team win!
No comments:
Post a Comment