by Neil Chhabda
“I think I’m a special one.”
With these famous words, Jose Mourinho introduced himself to
the English media, in his first press conference as Chelsea manager. Since
then, he has gone on to win countless trophies in England, Spain and Italy,
cementing his place as not just one of the best managers of our generation, but
one of the greatest figures in sporting history. Currently in his second stint
as Chelsea manager, his team lie 7 points clear at the top of the table, with
experts agreeing that the Premier League title is theirs to lose.
Mourinho is an exceptionally
talented strategist with vast tactical knowledge. He is capable of adjusting
his tactics into beating any team in the World. Additionally, he possesses
incredible attention to detail, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic (who played under him
at Internazionale), praising Mourinho for even knowing the shoe-size of the
opposition’s third choice keeper. One of
his biggest assets is his gift of man-management. He is capable of squeezing every last ounce
of effort from his players, inspiring unity, and ensuring that non first team
players remain happy sitting on the bench for extended periods of time.
Furthermore, Mourinho is a master
of the ‘dark arts’ of management. He is famous for playing mind games with
other managers, and is always willing to make public statements in order to
disrupt other teams, inspire his own teams, and to control media perception. This
tendency makes the Portuguese boss a Machiavellian figure in the world of
football.
His mastery of mind games,
charismatic character, and undoubted ability as a football manager make
Mourinho a media darling. Here are some of his best quotes, and most
entertaining moments:
1) The
knee slide. Having seen his Real Madrid side claim a stoppage time win against
Manchester City, Mourinho was happy to spoil an expensive suit, in an outburst
of raw passion.
2) After
having Pepe incorrectly sent off in a crucial game against Barcelona, Mourinho
was not a very happy man. He then performed this action, showing us his darker
side and getting sent off himself in the process.
3) On
a Chelsea injury crisis: "It's like having a blanket that is too small for
the bed. You pull the blanket up to keep your chest warm and your feet stick
out. I cannot buy a bigger blanket because the supermarket is closed. But the
blanket is made of cashmere."
4) After
Lionel Messi (supposedly) dived, in order to get Asier Del Horno sent off: "How do you say cheating in
Catalan?"
5) On
taking the Chelsea job for the first time: "If I wanted to have an easy
job I would have stayed at Porto. Beautiful blue chair, the UEFA Champions
League trophy, God, and after God, me.”
6) On
beating Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United side in 2004, whilst at Porto:
"I understand why he (Alex Ferguson) is a bit emotional…you would be sad
if your team gets as clearly dominated by opponents who have been built on 10%
of the budget."
These ten moments only provide a
glimpse into the illustrious career of Jose Mourinho. He is unquestionably a
legend in the world of sport.
7) On
his rivalry with Frank Rijkaard: “My history as a manager cannot be compared
with Frank Rijkaard’s history. He has zero trophies and I have a lot of them.”
8) On
playing against Barcelona: “I have to train with ten men. How to play with ten
men, because I go there with Chelsea, I finish with ten, I go there with Inter,
I finish with ten and I have to train to play with ten men because it can
happen again.”
9) Before
the beginning of the 2006/07 season: "Look at my haircut — I am ready for
the war."
10) Using
eggs as a metaphors for players, and criticizing Roman Abramovich (the Chelsea
Owner): "No eggs, no omelette. And it depends on the quality of the eggs.
In the supermarket, you have eggs class one, class two, class three. Some are
more expensive than others and some give you better omelettes. So when the
class one eggs are in Waitrose and you cannot go there, you have a
problem."
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