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Jose Mourinho, unemployed since leaving Stamford Bridge, barged into
our consciousness on Friday when he remarked that he is keen to “kill”
his old club if he meets them in next season’s Champions League.
Apparently, he was still on speaking terms with Roman Abramovich and
Peter Kenyon, dispelling rumors of a fallout since he was given the
boot by “mutual consent.” He said: “It was last week that I spoke with
people from the club. I wish them always good, I wish them always to
succeed, I wish them always to win.”
Asked about his successor in the Chelsea hot seat, Avram Grant,
Mourinho said: “I feel nothing for him. I feel everything for the club,
but not for him personally.
“I still feel Chelsea is a part of me, I’ll have Chelsea in my heart
forever. I left and for five months you couldn’t get a bad word from me
in relation to the club and you cannot do it in the future too.”
I can sense the conflicting feelings bottled inside him. On one
hand, he still loves the club and it will always be a part of him. But
yet he feels aggrieved about the dubious circumstances which led to his
staying at home. He wants to “kill” the club to teach Abramovich and
Grant a lesson, the former to make him regret his decision and the
latter, to show him who is the real messiah.
Such inflammatory remarks may seem like pathetic attempts to
highlight his availability and hopefully there will be a ready platform
for him to execute his plans. When you join another club, it is obvious
that you owe no loyalty or sentiment to your former club. The new club
and fans expect a massacre of all their opponents, so the remarks
really serve no purpose.
However, I prefer to give him the benefit of doubt that he is not
resorting to self-promotion to get a job. This guy warrants respect.
Mourinho was a breath of fresh air in the Premier League for his
conceited demeanor, always reliable for choice bites and not one to
back down from a war of words with rival managers. He led Chelsea to
their first Premier League title in 50 years and set records in the
process (most clean sheets, fewest goals conceded, most victories, most
points earned).
Before ending his reign, Mourinho won another Premier League title,
an FA Cup and two League Cups. It is fair to say that his winner’s
mentality and defense-minded football transformed Chelsea from a rich
man’s club into a serious title contender in the EPL and Champions
League, even today.
Whatever capacity Moruinho may return, nobody can take away the fact
that he is Chelsea’s most successful manager. He should get a warm
reception and the kinky thing is that he may even get a standing
ovation if he deprives Chelsea in the Champions League, with Avram
Grant in charge.
I believe any employment prospect will take place next season and
his most likely destinations will be Italy or Spain. This season, it
has been topsy-turvy for Barcelona but a sliver lining is over the
horizon, not so much through their effort but rather Real Madrid are
losing the plot.
While I don’t think Mourinho will end up like Sam Allardyce in
Newcastle, his ranking as second most hated character in Catalan and
preference for negativity in an attacking football culture will
nevertheless make such an appointment implausible. The directors will
not gamble their jobs on Mourinho unless absolutely necessary.
AC Milan are more suited to Mourinho’s style. Ceding supremacy of
Serie A to Inter Milan is a taboo and the inability to impose
themselves over weak opponents have cast doubts over Ancelotti’s
future. Elimination from the Champions League by Arsenal (throwing away
a proud home record against English teams) further weakens his
position, in spite of glorious achievements over the past few seasons.
Milan are in need of fresh blood and management, not that Ancelotti
is incompetent, but a refreshing change can signal a new era. Jose
Mourinho in AC Milan, and a substantial Chelsea first XI crossing over,
it is a discomforting thought… Serie A teams and Europe have much to
fear.
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