THIS SEASON’S PREMIER League title race ended as it began – at Stamford Bridge, with bile and malice in the air.
Chelsea’s hold on the championship began to loosen with the shameful degradation of their club doctor in the opening match with Swansea; Leicester City became champions on Monday after Tottenham’s rancorous draw at the same venue.
It was as if Stamford Bridge, like an Indian burial ground, was possessed by the spirit of the faithful departed. Jose Mourinho was long gone by the time his team roused themselves from their season-long slumber to spoil it for Spurs, but the game played out in the malevolent atmosphere that characterises Jose’s best work.
As Leicester celebrated, Mourinho’s blessing filtered through. “I want to congratulate everyone connected to Leicester; players, staff, owners and fans. I lost my title to Claudio Ranieri and it is with incredible emotion that I live this magic moment in his career.”
Exactly what ‘incredible emotion’ he is referring to is not clear. Envy? Disgust? Rage?
Did Mourinho really enjoy the garlands being lavished on Claudio Ranieri this week, a man he once described as having “the mentality of someone who doesn’t need to win”? It wouldn’t be like Jose to be consumed with resentment towards an old, disdained rival now enjoying unlikely success, would it?
You wonder what Mourinho has made of how this season has panned out, with its romantic upstarts and sleepwalking giants. It seems unlikely that he would have allowed its dreamy, enchanting conclusion to happen were he still around; he would surely have found some way to sabotage the preposterous Leicester fairytale, as he did with Liverpool in 2014.
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(You might also wonder if it can be a coincidence that this heartwarming season’s end is the first without the oppressive presence of either Mourinho or Alex Ferguson in almost three decades, like tiny flowers springing up in the aftermath of a devastating stampede?)
Mourinho's shameful treatment of Eva Carneiro was the beginning of the end. AP / Press Association Images
AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images
In the meantime Mourinho has intensively plotted to replace Louis van Gaal as Manchester United manager. Perhaps he sees his kingdom as having been usurped by inferior claimants. Say it again, but imagine that sneer this time: “I lost MY title to … Claudio Ranieri?!!”
Mourinho’s antics since his sacking, or at least those by his associates and media acolytes, are straight from a Game of Thrones subplot. Mad King Jose in exile, pacing impatiently in a draughty, far-flung castle while Ser Jorge Mendes, Hand of the King, raises him an army of dragons. Preferably third party-owned ones with occasional disciplinary issues.
But reclaiming the Iron Throne of Westeros might be easier than getting his Premier League title back, so long as the grizzled elders of Old Trafford resist his advances. At various times in recent months it seemed as if United were prepared to hold their noses and welcome Jose in, but as yet the stench has proved too strong.
While Jose’s human resources manual seems vastly out of step with the celebrated Ranieri code of pizzas and handshakes, it would be wrong to dismiss Mourinho as a man whose managerial time has passed.
For, if anything, Ranieri’s on-field formula has been a pretty faithful replica of the Mourinho method of last season: Leicester have been, essentially, Chelsea with smiles.
Deep-lying, iron-clad defences; energetic defensive midfield screens; advance party strikers stretching the game for counter-attacking reinforcements. Leicester’s season even adopted a similar trajectory to Chelsea’s 2014-15 campaign: early flair and flourish replaced by dogged determination down the home stretch.
Leicester: Chelsea with smiles? Rui Vieira
Rui Vieira
Chelsea had more possession last season and gave the ball away a lot less than Leicester do (Ranieri’s side rank 19th in the Premier League in passing accuracy percentage) but Jose said it best himself when criticised for his team’s approach.
“If you don’t play counter-attack then it’s because you are stupid,” he said, reflecting on a title won at the expense of possession-hungry sides like Arsenal and Manchester United. “Counter-attack is a fantastic item of football, an ammunition that you have, and when you find your opponent unbalanced you have a fantastic moment to score a goal.”
Sound familiar, Leicester fans?
Atletico Madrid’s advance to the Champions League final has been further proof that the Mourinho model still has legs, but that alone may not convince United to ignore his other failings. While Diego Simeone’s Atletico and Ranieri’s Leicester have appeared like bands of brothers, Mourinho’s Chelsea became a nest of vipers, a fact that they haven’t forgotten at Old Trafford.
At the time of writing, reports suggest that United want Mourinho to wait a year before taking over from van Gaal. It’s likely that he’d rather share dinner with Ranieri and his elderly mother than entertain such an idea, and will no doubt tell United as much.
Bringing the king back from his exile is not without its risks, but like any pretender, Mourinho is convinced he is born to rule.
Jorge! Ready those dragons!
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Leicester are essentially Chelsea with smiles - but Mourinho would have sabotaged their fairytale
THIS SEASON’S PREMIER League title race ended as it began – at Stamford Bridge, with bile and malice in the air.
Chelsea’s hold on the championship began to loosen with the shameful degradation of their club doctor in the opening match with Swansea; Leicester City became champions on Monday after Tottenham’s rancorous draw at the same venue.
It was as if Stamford Bridge, like an Indian burial ground, was possessed by the spirit of the faithful departed. Jose Mourinho was long gone by the time his team roused themselves from their season-long slumber to spoil it for Spurs, but the game played out in the malevolent atmosphere that characterises Jose’s best work.
As Leicester celebrated, Mourinho’s blessing filtered through. “I want to congratulate everyone connected to Leicester; players, staff, owners and fans. I lost my title to Claudio Ranieri and it is with incredible emotion that I live this magic moment in his career.”
Exactly what ‘incredible emotion’ he is referring to is not clear. Envy? Disgust? Rage?
Did Mourinho really enjoy the garlands being lavished on Claudio Ranieri this week, a man he once described as having “the mentality of someone who doesn’t need to win”? It wouldn’t be like Jose to be consumed with resentment towards an old, disdained rival now enjoying unlikely success, would it?
You wonder what Mourinho has made of how this season has panned out, with its romantic upstarts and sleepwalking giants. It seems unlikely that he would have allowed its dreamy, enchanting conclusion to happen were he still around; he would surely have found some way to sabotage the preposterous Leicester fairytale, as he did with Liverpool in 2014.
(You might also wonder if it can be a coincidence that this heartwarming season’s end is the first without the oppressive presence of either Mourinho or Alex Ferguson in almost three decades, like tiny flowers springing up in the aftermath of a devastating stampede?)
In the meantime Mourinho has intensively plotted to replace Louis van Gaal as Manchester United manager. Perhaps he sees his kingdom as having been usurped by inferior claimants. Say it again, but imagine that sneer this time: “I lost MY title to … Claudio Ranieri?!!”
But reclaiming the Iron Throne of Westeros might be easier than getting his Premier League title back, so long as the grizzled elders of Old Trafford resist his advances. At various times in recent months it seemed as if United were prepared to hold their noses and welcome Jose in, but as yet the stench has proved too strong.
While Jose’s human resources manual seems vastly out of step with the celebrated Ranieri code of pizzas and handshakes, it would be wrong to dismiss Mourinho as a man whose managerial time has passed.
For, if anything, Ranieri’s on-field formula has been a pretty faithful replica of the Mourinho method of last season: Leicester have been, essentially, Chelsea with smiles.
Deep-lying, iron-clad defences; energetic defensive midfield screens; advance party strikers stretching the game for counter-attacking reinforcements. Leicester’s season even adopted a similar trajectory to Chelsea’s 2014-15 campaign: early flair and flourish replaced by dogged determination down the home stretch.
Chelsea had more possession last season and gave the ball away a lot less than Leicester do (Ranieri’s side rank 19th in the Premier League in passing accuracy percentage) but Jose said it best himself when criticised for his team’s approach.
“If you don’t play counter-attack then it’s because you are stupid,” he said, reflecting on a title won at the expense of possession-hungry sides like Arsenal and Manchester United. “Counter-attack is a fantastic item of football, an ammunition that you have, and when you find your opponent unbalanced you have a fantastic moment to score a goal.”
Sound familiar, Leicester fans?
At the time of writing, reports suggest that United want Mourinho to wait a year before taking over from van Gaal. It’s likely that he’d rather share dinner with Ranieri and his elderly mother than entertain such an idea, and will no doubt tell United as much.
Bringing the king back from his exile is not without its risks, but like any pretender, Mourinho is convinced he is born to rule.
Jorge! Ready those dragons!
The42 is on Snapchat! Tap the button below on your phone to add!
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Claudio Ranieri column Jose Mourinho Chelsea Leicester City