Jose Mourinho - The Whiny One??

Jose Mourinho – The whiny one??

As soon as you see his face in the front of a camera, you can hear drum rolls. There is no doubt that Jose Mourinho is a successful manager, a charmer, a brilliant tactician where nothing in front of him ever goes amiss. Every team that he has managed has had his trademark stamped all over them. The art of winning is embedded in his brain as he has proved time after time. Most critics even say that he is the best tactician in world football.

This sums up the current Chelsea Manager when his team is winning. However, how does the 3-time Champions league winner react when his troops stumble? He may be called as the “Whiny One” instead of the “Special One”. Continuously blaming his players after one or two average performances, hammering his strikers so many times that I have lost count and thus creating a negative vibe in the dressing room.

This is not something new that we are seeing from the Chelsea Manager. Mourinho’s last few days at the Bernabeu weren’t fruitful to say the least. He got hated by most of the Bernebeu lot as he left. Uncharacteristic performances from Real Madrid created a rift between him and his players. As he ended the last season trophy-less, Jose pointed his finger at the players while most in Madrid pointed it at him.

As the Portuguese manager has pointed out, his main problem this season has been his attacking positions (or lack thereof). Jose never hesitates to show his frustration towards his strikers. Samuel Eto’s celebration against Tottenham was a small reminder to his manager that he is still there. However, Jose’s self-sympathetic claim that “he has no strikers” is a result of his own decisions.

Romelu Lukaku to Everton

The huge Belgian striker signed off his loan spell with West Bromwich Albion with a hatrick against Manchester United, which was unsurprisingly over-shadowed by Ferguson’s departure. He had pace, strength and clinical finishing for a 20-year old striker; in short everything Mourinho would want in his No. 9.

Few even believed Lukaku would go on to become the next Drogba under Mourinho. In between all this gossip, off went Lukaku to Everton on loan. With 6 games to go, Lukaku has found the net 14 times in the league, only 3 less than Eto, Torres and Ba combined.

Only the Special One can explain this Special deal.

Romelu Lukaku key to Everton’s success

Image courtesy whoscored.com

Mourinho’s Tactics

Jose is always famous for his scrappy victories. A patchy 1-0 win satisfies him more than an dominating 5-0 win. All he thinks about are 3 points. Jose’s uncompromising demand for a high work rate from his players has brought him continuous success over the years. On the other hand, the same tactics may prove to be Chelsea’s downfall this season.

Last weeks loss against PSG was a typical example of his distrust towards his strikers and his defensive approach. Playing Andre Schürrle as his lone striker proved to be a bad move right from the start. Though Willian is a regular starter at Chelsea because of his defensive contribution, his attacking prowess is still to be seen. At times, Chelsea seem to be over-dependent on Eden Hazard.

Though Jose has no option but to rely on his attack to unleash their potential against PSG, Mourinho’s real test will come when they face Liverpool at Anfield. Whether its going to be Mourinho’s tactical masterclass or his strikers’ irrational blunders, we have to wait for it.

Short-term Attitude

Statistics are about results. Clubs are about pride and legacy. Mourinho lays more emphasis on the former than the latter. Every manager has to show results in his CV. This may be a good approach considering a short period of time, but its not only results or trophies that define a club or a manager. Its seems clear that Jose doesn’t understand that once he called Arsene Wenger ‘a specialist in failure’.

Dutch legend Johan Cruyff recent remarks about Mourinho were ” When things are going well, it’s the result of his good work, but the players are to blame when things are going badly”. As brash and arrogant as it sounds, its true. Mourinho claims that he came back to Chelsea because of the mutual respect that the club and the manager had for each other.

Something else that the Portugese must do is establish a similar respect between his players and himself. If this continues, Mourinho may face a similar situation to that of Real Madrid

If he wants to stay with the Blues for a long time, he must appreciate the players, the club and its future. Roman Abramovich and Jose should work towards the long-term considering all these aspects. If Chelsea end up trophy-less which is what might happen this season, whether Mourinho will take responsibility or not is something Torres will be thinking about.