‘Never go back’ they say. But Jose Mourinho has done just
that and is once again at the helm of Stamford Bridge as manager of Chelsea.
Mourinho’s time at Real Madrid has been stressful for the
mere spectator. The political circus and civil feuds which have surrounded recent
times at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium have taken their toll on him.
His hair is shorter and greyed, his skin sags slightly
from his tired face. The Mourinho at his inaugural Chelsea press conference
this time around will be a little less vibrant than the ‘special one’ who
memorably entered the English game back in 2004.
Back then he was hungry to gain the reputation as the
greatest manager in the world. He was on the breadth of the wave of having
taken a Portuguese club team to Champions League victory – an achievement none
had predicted.
The young, charismatic Mourinho had a clean history with
nothing on his record but victory. Now he re-enters after, perhaps, his CV’s
only blotch; his failure at one of the biggest clubs in the entire world.
Mourinho was tasked with toppling the Spanish domestic
dominance of Barcelona, somewhat of his arch-nemesis, and also putting Madrid
back in the reckoning for European honours, a competition with which they have
such great history but have struggled with in modern times.
But Mourinho could not handle the pressure in Madrid. He
could not survive under the watchful eye of President Florentino Pérez who
loomed over him like the burden of a mountain of debt. And for the first time
in his career his man-management failed to control the dressing room. In the
likes of Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos he encountered players with egos as big
as his own who revolted against his regime.
Mourinho’s return is almost an attempt to pick up where
he left off and forget the time in between his reigns. By returning to Chelsea,
Mourinho is trying to return to 2007, or at least 2010 before he joined Madrid,
when he was a young man who had never failed.
Admittedly Chelsea have not challenged for the title in
the last two seasons, but they have won the Champions League, a trophy with
which they have had such an intimate relationship yet which was so elusive to
them. If Mourinho could swoop in and snatch this holy-grail for Chelsea then I
would suggest his appointment would be justified.
But Roberto Di Matteo has already won the Champions
League with Chelsea leaving them with an identity crisis. Chelsea no longer
need to prove they can win the major trophies. They are seeking longevity,
style and purity – Mourinho has many effective qualities but he does not
possess any of these.
Roman Abramovich and his advisory board ditched Mourinho
back in 2007 and after several heirs failed to emulate Mourinho’s success, the
Russian tycoon finally tried to reinvent Chelsea under Andre Villas-Boas. Young
players were signed under a young manager who wanted to win with style.
But unsurprisingly Abramovich became impatient waiting
for the long-term project to come to fruition and the stop-gap coaches ever since
Villas-Boas was dismissed have merely built a long, winding road back to
Mourinho.
Mourinho’s return to Chelsea has the feel of an old,
successful TV show returning to air years later. The cast all look a little
older and have all experienced highs, lows and misdemeanours since the original
production, making the purity of what was originally created somewhat tainted.
Additionally, the expectation created by the popularity of the original will be
suffocating.
It was key that Mourinho signed up to the second coming,
he’ll probably bring Michael Essien back with him. The likes of John Terry and
Frank Lampard were always willing to be involved. The absence of stars like
Didier Drogba just means it won’t be the same.
‘He’s coming, he’s coming!’ Brace yourself for the
fanfare and a love-in between Mourinho and the media. Mourinho has spent the
last year alienating himself from the Spanish press whilst cleverly convincing
the British media that they adore him.
I hope Mourinho is successful for the sake of English
football. The Premiership is certainly in need of a boost. But I wonder if it
would’ve been better to hold on to the nostalgic memories of Mourinho’s story
at Chelsea rather than to add a new chapter which has the potential to ruin the
ending.
Mourinho is an effective manager for specific situations
and is a fascinating man. But whether he is tailored for Chelsea in 2013 is
certainly questionable.
Follow me on Twitter @RichMaher93
