A man who was once described as The Special One, has now perhaps been left in the rear-view mirror of modern football. Jose Mourinho saw great success at Porto, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, and Chelsea, with trophies also coming in Manchester and Rome. However, Jose has somewhat stalled in his successes as time has gone on. A man who won a trophy everywhere he went up until his recent time in North London with Spurs, has slowly seen his genius fade. What will his legacy be and how will he be remembered?
Mourinho burst onto the scene with the Portuguese giants Porto as he won the Champions League in 2004. He then went to London to manage Chelsea after Roman Abramovich admired Jose’s work in Portugal. His triumphs at Chelsea were applauded by many, with him winning two Premier Leagues, an FA Cup along with two league cups. He left London to join Italian giants Inter Milan, where he picked up two Serie A titles as well as the Champions League crown as part of a historic treble, which had never been achieved by an Italian club before. Mourinho then ventured to Madrid where he won another league title as well as a Copa Del Rey. Jose then jetted back to Chelsea, where he picked up another league title before joining up with The Red Devils where he won the Europa League and EFL Cup as part of an up and down tenure. Jose then went to Spurs where overall; he had a torrid time with him eventually being sacked just before the EFL Cup final against Manchester City. The Special One most recently went back to Italy to manage Roma where last season he won the Europe Conference League.
Despite trophies almost everywhere he’s been, Mourinho’s general managerial prowess has arguably been on a downward trajectory since his second spell at Chelsea. With Manchester United he won two major trophies however the style of his play was often criticised and sait to be too defensive and negative. It was a similar story at Tottenham, however, as he didn’t win a trophy, the media began to question whether he still had a space at the top of the managerial pyramid. His time at Spurs ended on a sour note, and it left a bitter taste in the mouth of the English media – with it somewhat tainting their view of Mourinho’s overall time in England.
In Rome, he started well in his first season however it has been a little bit shaky since and has maybe even led to him doubting whether he still has the minerals to manage at the top. As previously mentioned, Mourinho won the Conference League with Roma – possibly showing the footballing world he has ‘still got it’. This season, Mourinho had a ropey start picking up only one point from the first three games. Nonetheless, Jose has helped Roma recover their form in recent weeks picking up ten points from a possible fifteen in their last five games. During the start of this season, he has been surrounded by constant rumours regarding his position and whether he should leave the club. The next few weeks, paired with Roma’s form in the Europa League will strongly determine Jose’s future and whether he will stay in Rome or move elsewhere.
It could be said, wherever he goes, Mourinho will always see some success, whether this be in the form of a trophy or a top four finish to get Champions League football. Yet, it is clear to see that Mourinho’s time at the top is coming to an end and his artistry and managerial expertise is slowly dwindling. With modern football forever evolving, Pep and Klopp bringing new philosophies and styles of play to the game we know and the general methodologies behind teams changing year on year – is Mourinho being left in the dust? The Portuguese national team role is going to be a position almost readily available for Jose if and when he wants it. Or will The Special One lean towards a big money move to Saudi and jet off into the sunset...
Written by Carrick Galbraith
Twitter - @carrickgalb123
Instagram - @carrick.426_
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