Jose Mourinho - a failure?

It’s very easy to kick a man when he is down and in the aftermath of a trophy-less season every one is taking a shot at Mourinho. The man doesn’t really help his situation with his outspoken nature and perceived arrogance. A lot of his critics have been waiting for this moment, so dwell in it while it lasts.

He’s been branded as a cheat, arrogant, proud, disrespectful and the list goes on. There’s one particular word though that doesn’t fit the description ‘failure’. Jose Mourinho – Real Madrid Failure! I think not! The idea behind blaming Mourinho for the current state of affairs is a dirty game, he has publicly acknowledged the season being his worst ever but if one thinks that he is, what is wrong with the club then you need to double check your facts.

Real Madrid – Then

Florentino Perez, won elections to the Real Madrid Presidency based on one policy alone. His time came to be known as the ‘Galactico ‘era, a policy of bringing the best players from around the world to the club was the norm. Figo was poached from arch-rivals Barcelona, a bitter, bitter move. He was followed by Zidane. This proved successful and I remember as a kid watching Zidane volley that football into the back of the net against Bayer Leverkusen, it was nothing short of majestic.

That was Madrid in the days of two Galacticos, Figo & Zidane and academy players like (a very young) Iker Casillas & Raul. Hoping to build on the success of the last Champions League (2002), Florentino Perez really gave birth to the ‘Galactico’ era, signing Ronaldo (Brazil), Beckham (even though his position clashed with Figo’s), Micheal Owen (bit part substitute player).

Perez is more a business man for the club than anything, he made the club money at the expense of the fans. Expanding their base and appeal in Asia through Beckham, even though he had to be played out of place to accommodate Figo. Players were signed on the pretence of being attractively marketable. Defensive signings were poor because he saw no reason to pay ‘Galactico’ wages to defensive players, in particular Makelele. This was one of two major failures for the team they built, the first failure was to retain Makelele and the second was a failure to find a suitable replacement. While Madrid were the ideal poster boy, marketing team their on the basis of their display on the pitch fell short. Galactios left, Galacticos retired, the last of the ‘big four’ Beckham worked his way back into a Madrid under Capello, to prove he was there more than just to sell shirts and he did! Winning the league and departing, that truly was the end.

Real Madrid – Present Day

If you told a footballing fan back in 2002, that the European power house ‘Real Mardrid’ would not win one Champions League in the next decade you would be laughed at.

Fast forward to modern day 2013, the club is still there 11 years later, still seeking what now seems to be the Holy Grail for Madrid. Florentino Perez has come back to power (2009) and with that, the second Glactico era (Kaka, Ronaldo, Benzema, Alonso) as promised in his pre-election campaign. The only surviving player from the glory days is Iker Casillas and these days even he watches his team from the side lines.

What you don’t realize ?

Is that everybody, the club, the press talk about how much money has been spent on acquiring this current Galactico team. Do you know how much wealth they have made by marketing this team?

Barcelona have Messi, what do Real Madrid do?

Florentino Perez wanted Lionel Messi at Real Madrid but he knew that it would not have been easy, unlike acquiring Figo. Messi would never leave a club that gave him everything. Madrid went after Ronaldo. After an unsuccessful first attempt by Madrid, Perez’s appointment to presidency saw the next attempt and the arrival of Ronaldo. This coupled with the fact that the player having won everything with Manchester United as a team (and individually) saw a boyhood dream to move to Real Madrid being fulfilled.

Barcelona have Pep Guardiola, how do we tackle this?

Real Madrid meets Jose Mourinho was a dream match, the kind of transfers and the team you could build were something out of a FIFA Fantasy Manager.

Did it happen?

Damn right it did, Real Madrid went and bought out his contract from Inter Milan and Mourinho was now a Madridista.

Why was Jose Mourinho chosen?

Mourinho was one of only three managers in the modern day format of the Champions League to have won a ‘treble’. A treble is winning the Champions League + 2 Major Domestic Titles. Mourinho, ironically, clinched the treble at the Bernabeu with Inter Milan. The other two managers being Sir Alex Ferguson (who wouldn’t leave United for any amount of money) & Pep Guardiola (who had Barcelona in his DNA)

What we must remember about Mourinho’s appointment?

That when Mourinho took charge of Real Madrid, they were playing second fiddle to a Barcelona team that was playing a brand of football far superior to their opponents. In 2010, we were half way through Pep’s reign and Mourinho will never forget the welcome they gave him, a 5-0 trashing at the Nou Camp.

What did Mourinho achieve in his three seasons at Madrid?

Season 1

Mourinho won his first trophy in Spanish football as Real Madrid defeated Barcelona 1–0 in the Copa del Rey final held at the Mestalla Stadium in Valencia, ending Real Madrid’s 18-year-long Copa del Rey drought.It was also Real’s first trophy since their 2007–08 La Liga title. One week later, the two teams met again in the first leg of the semi-finals of the 2010–11 UEFA Champions League, Real Madrid’s furthest advance in the tournament since the 2003 semi-finals, as the club was knocked out in the 2004 quarter-finals and then from 2005–2010 the club had suffered six consecutive exits at the Round of 16 stage. At the Bernabéu, Real’s Pepe was dismissed for a tackle on Dani Alves (theatrical as ever, Dani Alves continued unscathed for the rest of the match) in the 61st minute and Mourinho was sent to the stands for protesting, afterward Barca’s Lionel Messi scored two late goals to take control of the tie. The second leg at Camp Nou finished 1–1 which eliminated Real from the tournament.

Season 2

Real Madrid won 1–2 against FC Barcelona in El Clásico at the Camp Nou. This was the first victory for Real Madrid in La Liga against their arch rivals since 2008 and the first overall at Camp Nou since 2007. Mourinho’s side advanced to the semi-finals of the Champions League for the second consecutive year. The first leg away finished with a 2–1 win to Bayern Munich. In the second leg at home, Real Madrid took a 2–0 lead from two Cristiano Ronaldo goals but Bayern’s Arjen Robben converted a penalty to level the aggregate score at 3–3, and Madrid was eliminated in the shootout with Ronaldo, Kaka, and Ramos all failing to convert their spot kicks. Real Madrid won 0–3 against Athletic Bilbao on the 2nd of May, maintaining a 7-point gap to Barcelona with only 6 points left to be played, which meant Real Madrid clinched the La Liga title after 4 years !

Real Madrid ended the season having set records for most games won in a La Liga season (32), most away wins (16), most points obtained in any of the top European leagues (100), improving the most goals scored record they already had set earlier (121), and finishing the season with the highest goal difference and topped the league 9 points clear of runners-up Barcelona.

Season 3

Mourinho signed a new four-year contract to remain as Real Madrid manager, till 2016.

After losing 3–2 in Barcelona in the first leg of the 2012 Supercopa de España, Real Madrid won the return leg in Madrid 2–1. Real Madrid won the competition on the away goals rule after a tie of 4–4 on aggregate. This meant Mourinho had won every domestic title available for a manager in the Spanish top division within two years.

How did he fare this season ?

Champions League : Semi Finalists

Spanish Supercopa : Winners

Copa Del Rey : Runners Up

La Liga : Runners Up

Lets face it, the Supercopa is not a major cup and this season is the first year in Mourinho’s career that he has not won anything major. He himself has branded it as his worst year. Jose Mourinho and Real Madrid have now parted ways by means of mutual consent. Nonsense ! He was fired and everybody knows it.

If Jose Mourinho is not good enough for Real Madrid, that begs the question, who is ?

I don’t think anyone ever will be, for the simple fact that Real Madrid is a political battle between the likes of Perez, Calderon or whom ever comes to power. They think of immediate success and not for the long term. Modern day Real Madrid is fueled by three things, their rivalry with Barcelona, La Decima & the Galacticos. While the rivalry is good for the league, the obsession with La Decima & the Galacticos and which regime delivers it to the public only harms the club.

Who is Ramon Calderon ?

Ramon Calderon, former Real Madrid president (who lost elections to Florentino Perez) recently speaking on Sky Sports’ Revista De La Liga about Jose Mourinho, he said:“Of course he has been a failure. It is the worst record of any Real Madrid manager who has had three years or more there.

Ramon Calderon is talking utter garbage, I will tell you why…

Vincent del Bosque, Carlos Queiroz, José Antonio Camacho, Mariano García Remón, Vanderlei Luxemburgo, Juan Ramón López Caro, Fabio Capello, Bernd Schuster, Juande Ramos, Manuel Pellegrini were all sacked. During the ‘Galactico’ era not one manager has lasted more than 2 years, circus monkeys !

Vicente del Bosque, won 2 Champions Leagues, 2 La Ligas, 1 Spanish Suprecopa, 1 UEFA Super Cup, 1 Intercontinental Cup, still got sacked ! I hope Florentino Perez owns a television so he could watch, Del Bosque along with Spain go on to win a European Championship, World Cup and another European Championship consecutively.

Why managers don’t last at this club?

Managers are not the boss at these clubs.

Politics on the field, what do you mean?

It feels at times, Iker Casillas & Sergio Ramos run the club. Their benching has been viewed with personal agenda, even though in some games statistics show that the team performs better without them.

Ironically, now is the best time to coach Real Madrid, why though?

1. Any silverware achieved in the up coming season will be considered better than nothing.2. Barcelona are in the process of restructuring a new team beyond Pep’s image, a team capable of challenging in Europe.

Will Ronaldo stay?

La Liga is more suited to Ronaldo’s style of play (and not to mention weaker opponents), sunshine and less media pressure. Sounds like something too good to give up. Though for as long as he has been here no matter what he does the press insure he lives in Messi’s shadow.

The Verdict

The media creates unrealistic expectations for fans and manager at football clubs, while one would like one’s team to go out and win everything, it very rarely happens. Jose Mourinho is a character, football needs characters. He was appointed based on past credentials and he lived up to them, I wouldn’t say his Champions League exploits have peaked with the club but he is very close. Time and patience at a club like Real Madrid are in opposite directions.

Hate him or love him, he used to put a certain excitement into watching every Real Madrid match, especially the El Clasico’s. Even though the coveted Champions League was missing from his collection at Real Madrid, he won everything else. To brand him a failure at Real Madrid is harsh and absolutely ridiculous. Even the fans are split into Madridistas vs Mourinhoistas, what ever be said, his brand of football and management in the La Liga has been entertaining start to finish. He will be sorely missed.