Firstly, though Jose Mourinho currently manages Real Madrid F C, his legacy continues to persist in and around Stamford Bridge. Ever since Jose left Stamford Bridge in suspect circumstances, no Chelsea manager (perhaps, with the exception of Carlo Ancelotti) has been able to command as much respect. Every team has been compared to the one which won two league titles on the bounce – criteria being the type of players arriving and departing, and the way the team plays. The subsequent managers have all tried to take Chelsea out of the shadow of the ‘Special One’, by changing the formation and the style. They may have succeeded initially, but when things began to go wrong, they immediately reverted to Jose’s way. Two such striking instances being Ancelotti’s diamond formation (4-1-2-1-2) and Villas Boas’ futile attempt at a revolution. Ancelotti achieved some success initially with his diamond formation, but when their league form started sinking, he abandoned his method and stuck to the tried, tested and trusted 4-3-3. As for AVB, well, the least said, the better! Roberto Di Matteo, for now at least, seems to be going on well in his attempt to change Chelsea’s style of play. Whether he succeeds in making the Blues come out of the Portuguese’s shadow (or perhaps, the shadow of his own and world famous ‘bus’!) is another matter of debate. The point, however, is, at the moment, Chelsea is still under Jose’s shadow. He still remains as the basis for comparison. Though he may have left Chelsea and knocked them out of the UCL with his Inter Milan side, he still remains rooted deep in Blue hearts.
Now enough of boring you readers with so much of technicalities and shades of romance! The “what ifs” follow:
- A serious contender for SAF and Wenger:
A great club is always accompanied by a great manager, they say. You look at Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger, Pep Guardiola and many such examples. This is where Chelsea fall behind. The name ‘Mourinho’ would have been more synonymous with the club name ‘Chelsea’, much like how it goes with ‘Sir Alex’s Manchester United‘,’Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal‘ or ‘Pep’s Barca’. There are not many clubs referred to in this manner these days. Rather, they are referred to as ‘The Sheikh’s Man City’,’PSG, bankrolled by a rich investor…’, etc. Jose Mourinho staying on (Roman not dismissing him would be more appropriate) would have put Chelsea into that elite group of those with clubs with club name being synonymous with that of the manager, both being mentioned in the same breath. Sadly, ‘Abramovich’s Chelsea’ is a reference more popular these days.
- More Fans:
You may deny it, but accept the fact – you just cannot hate Jose Mourinho (Barcelona fans exempted). His touchline antics, and media skills are adored by fans and followers. One can just imagine to what levels he may have taken that in the more homely surroundings of West London. The players are the faces of the club, but Jose would have provided that ‘X’ factor. He would have been the club’s poster boy. As a manager, he is appreciated by almost everyone (remember, he was the one to effectively use the ‘park the bus’ strategy to success, only to be copied by his nth successor). Jose’s teams have always had that workman like approach to the game – hard work, and being physical and intimidating at the appropriate moments. People would have started to like Mourinho, and therefore, whether they wanted it or not, like his club Chelsea.
- Champions League success much earlier:
Mourinho always has the desire to win the Champions’ League. He did it with Porto, Inter, and you bet he will only leave Madrid once he wins it with them. Sadly, he couldn’t win it with Chelsea, blame it maybe on bad luck or on the owner. Chelsea could have won the Champion’s League as early as 2009. Mourinho, with this everlasting desire for success would have surely transferred it effectively to some players, who at the time, took things for granted. The wait wouldn’t have been so long. Lampard, Drogba, Cole and Cech realised that an assured start was no longer guaranteed, and we all saw how they willingly put their bodies on the line for the cause, willing to sacrifice. Their motivation level would have multiplied, if they had that father figure Jose to push them on.
And of course, and quite naturally,
- The manager merry go round would have stopped!
This topic has been discussed enough already. And as a fan, I am not at all happy with it and you can check out what I feel about it here.
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But, when I stop dreaming, the hard fact hits hard. He is no more ours. His allegiance is now with someone else. He is an ambitious man, and if we come in his way, he will not let the emotion get the better of him. He is just another human being after all, a man with a job, he is paid for it, and does his work. As a Chelsea fan, I can only wish that he comes back to his once adopted home and finish the final chapter of his legacy where it all came big for him. If only he hadn’t left, sigh!
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