I’m sure you have all seen the stories linking Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho with a sensational return to Stamford Bridge to take over from the abhorrent Rafael Benitez, but what do you make of the prospect?
I don’t think that there’s any doubt at this stage that the Chelsea board realise the mistake they made by appointing a man that the fans warned them not to and not just because they hated him, they clearly do not rate him as a manager either as they witnessed the beginnings of the Liverpool decline and his disastrous spell as Inter Milan manager.
There was a section of fans that was willing to stomach him for now as we were pretty comfortable in our league position when he arrived and had a number of trophies to play for but even the most tolerant of Blues fans have lost patience with a man that hasn’t delivered on the results he promised and hasn’t made any effort to build bridges with the fans that were so vehemently against his appointment because he disrespected them in the past.
But there was no apology for the words he uttered about the club and its fans from the time he was at Anfield and he wore a red (which looked more orange) tie during his first couple of home games in the Stamford Bridge home dugout which clearly displayed an arrogance that has made him more unpopular than he already was, and then there’s the lack of tactical acumen and bizarre substitutions.
Back onto the Mourinho rumours, is the former Chelsea boss the right man to take the reigns at Stamford Bridge or should you never go back?
Mourinho would be welcome with open arms because of what he achieved during his first stint at the club and the continued success we’ve seen him have since. He’s a man that has an immediate impact on teams, has an attention to detail and generates a sense of resilience amongst his players.
But there are those that are concerned by the prospect of his return as they question his behaviour at Real Madrid where he’s struggled to manage a squad that has more egos than even Chelsea’s dressing room and it looks as though he’s had enough and is trying to engineer an exit from the Santiago Bernabeu.
He’s always boasted an impressive trophy haul and often likes to remind everyone of his accolades when he’s criticised but from his first jobs in Portugal with Benfica and Porto to his current post at Real Madrid, he’s never stuck around for long and this has raised questions over his longevity.
There’s also his relationship with Roman Abramovich to consider as the Russian has called Mourinho’s bluff once before and although they reportedly on good terms now, what’s to stop things becoming fractious again? It seems as though most argue that there would have to be some serious compromise on Abramovich’s part as there’s little chance Mourinho would want to work with Michael Emenalo, who is taking a lot of heat for Benitez’s appointment as well as our under-strength squad, and Jose would demand more authority than his successors have had at Stamford Bridge.
Whilst Mourinho would have to be given those sorts of assurances he’d also have to compromise as it’s unlikely that Emenalo won’t be replaced by another sporting director but as long as he doesn’t get involved in too many of the first team issues and mainly concentrates on his own signing recommendations, loans and youth development etc then there shouldn’t be too much of an issue as Mourinho is used to working in that type of structure at Inter and Real.
However, despite Mourinho’s open desire to return to England and Chelsea seeming like a natural fit, we wouldn’t be the only club that will make him an attractive offer as Paris Saint Germain could look after him financially, are guaranteed to qualify for next season’s Champions League and give him the opportunity to win a title in a fifth European league. Then there’s Manchester City who may see Mourinho as the man to take Roberto Mancini’s side to the next level, especially in terms of the Champions League.
