How Mourinho indirectly saved Muamba’s life

I’m Callum Rivett and welcome to my first blog on The Football Front. As you would have probably guessed by the title and recent events, this will be about Fabrice Muamba and his cardiac arrest during Saturday’s FA Cup tie against Tottenham.

First, let me take you back to October 14th, 2006. It was Chelsea v Reading at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League. It didn’t start well. Just moments in, Petr Cech dived at a through ball to ensure a clean take, but the chasing Stephen Hunt caught Cech with his trailing leg, scans later revealed that Cech had fractured his skull. His replacement Carlo Cudicini was also carried off injured late into the match, forcing John Terry into goal for the remaining few minutes.

After the game, Chelsea’s manager (back then) José Mourinho criticised the reaction time of the medical crew, it took four minutes for Cech to be carried from the pitch and ten minutes for Cudicini. Mourinho was disgusted by the challenge, claiming: “The Cech one, the challenge is a disgrace. He is lucky to still be alive.”

These complaints brought about many changes in the medical procedure in a football match, some of which have possibly saved Muamba’s life. The response times are now quicker, more medical staff and vehicles are available, and better equipment is available and at hand in case of a situation like the unfortunate Muamba found himself in.

Let’s not forget about the physiological effects to the crowd, the players and the staff. Some were crying, others praying and some couldn’t bear to watch. All Tottenham players after the game stated that they wanted screening for any possible heart problems, just to reassure themselves.

Some facts were released about the Muamba incident, a doctor saying, “It was 48 minutes when he collapsed to reaching hospital and a further 30 minutes after that. He was, in effect, dead at that time.”

Bolton physic Andy Mitchell was the first person to spot that Muamba had collapsed, he then screamed to the medics: “Get on the pitch! Get on the pitch!” It showed the desperateness of the staff and players to see that Muamba was okay and alive.

Muamba’s heart stopped beating four times say doctors, and he was given two defibrillator shocks on the pitch, another one in the tunnel, and a further twelve in the ambulance. A fan in the stands called Andrew Deaner who was a consultant cardiologist at London Chest Hospital ran on the pitch to lend his expertise.

Luckily, reports now are that Muamba is talking English and French with visitors, having a joke with team-mates and recognising people. He can breathe without medical assistance and move his limbs, so he looks well on the way for a good recovery. Whether he will ever play football again is unknown, but every football fan out there wishes him the best of luck in rehabilitation and a quick and faultless recovery.

Follow Callum on twitter: @calriv97

Mourinho out! But Replaced with who?

In his debut article for The Football Front, Damian Peters explores the possibilities of who could replace Jose Mourinho at Madrid.

The cries for the head of Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho are so loud after his team suffered another home defeat at the hands of the mighty Barcelona, that even if you had on ear plugs with an ear muff, you would still hear it. This wasn’t helped by the strong reports which revealed last Sunday Jose Mourinho was seriously considering quitting Madrid in the summer.

Many Spanish tabloids echoed what was supposedly are the cries of the fed up Real Madrid fans asking for a change from the negative tactics often deployed by Mourinho against Barcelona, which still most of the time still resulted in his team losing to the Catalan giants.

The aftermath of the game against Barcelona was a PR disaster, with Marca publishing an article which contained an argument between Mourinho, Sergio Ramos and captain Iker Casillas. Indeed, Madrid, Mourinho and the players denied what was printed in the paper, only saying when questioned about it, that they wasn't here to talk about that incident.

Madrid’s home game against Athletic Bilbao was amusing as Jose Mourinho was whistled by some sections of the Bernabeau faithful, though the other sections chanted his name, an accomplishment that no other manager of the club can boast.

For the first time in his reign as coach Los Blancos there was clear discontent among the fans with his tactics and an antics, with many fans asking for him to be replaced as coach. Replaced? Fine, but with who? Which available coach is capable of replacing a man who is a proven winner, with a track record of winning trophies in four different countries and leagues. Not only this he is a leader strong enough to take charge of a dressing room filled with multi-millionaires, each with an ego as huge as the Eiffel Tower.

One such candidate to replace him would be Guus Hiddink, he himself a former coach of Madrid, and currently out of work after leaving his post as coach of the Turkish national team. But his time there was marred by bad results and off-field comments criticising the board and the club, which ultimately led to him being sacked.

Another Candidate would be Arsenal's boss Arsene Wenger. The Arsenal manager is continuously linked with the Madrid jobs. Certain media sources will tell you he turned down The Galacticos to stay at Arsenal. But with Arsenal failing to win a trophy in over six years, is Arsene Wenger the kind of manager the hierarchy at the club wants to bring in? I doubt it. Wenger also might not be interested in ever taking the Madrid job.

Then there is Rafa Benitez, the man who lead Liverpool to Champions League glory in 2005. Benitez has being out of work for over a year and a half now and is presently doing guest punditry on TV. Benitez, without a doubt is a good coach, but his coaching style has being questioned at time, with former players saying that he was distant and cold towards them and that they hardly had a relationship with him. His tactics has also come under fire in the past, his insistence on using a zonal marking system when defending corners even though Liverpool was shipping goal after goal using the system. His activities in the transfer market also ceases to flatter, he was notorious for bringing in very average players and placing them on massive salaries, that is something that the Madrid faithful will not want to see, not with Barcelona threatening to win every title until thy kingdom comes.Yes, some Madrid fans might want Mourinho replaced, but can the available candidates do a better job than he's doing now? Considering how prominent Barcelona are? And do the other candidates even want the job at the moment?

Real Madrid have lacked continuity for a long time, maybe Mourinho is the man to manage the club over a extended period and it would only make sense considering his track record and the amount of money that they invested in the current squad that he wanted assembled.

This article was written by Damian Peters you can find more of his work at http://futbaldisciple.wordpress.com/ . Make sure you follow him on Twitter too: @futbal_disciple

Video: A subtle piece of Madrid propaganda?

This video is pretty uneventful. It's Jose Mourinho been given a birthday cake on his birthday last week by the Madrid lads. But what's interesting about the video is who presents the cake. It's the Spanish duo of Sergio Ramos and Iker Casillas.

There has been a lot of speculation from the Spanish and major European papers suggesting a break down in relationship between some of the Spanish players at Madrid, in particular, Sergio Ramos and Iker Casillas towards Jose Mourinho. Most of you have probably read or heard the story regarding the dispute between Mourinho and Sergio Ramos following the Barcelona defeat in the Copa Del Rey.

Could this video by the Official Madrid channel be attempting to paint a picture that all his harmonious in the Madrid camp? I think that just could be the case.

Video: Mourinho's woeful acting + Tony Pulis on the Tevez saga

Our first video is Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho doing an advert for Braun. Mourinho maybe a world class manager, but by no means in hell is he a good actor. Just take a look at his acting in this video. It's actually quite embarrassing!




Our final video is about Tony Pulis on the Tevez - Man City saga. As with most managers, Sky and the press have been asking various managers on their thoughts on the Tevez issue. But the brilliant Pulis, slams the question in an emphatic yet refreshing manner.

4-3-3 - it's Successes and Failings

The Football Front’s tactical expert Itsaballnotabomb evaluates the 4-3-3 system and its strengths and weaknesses.

The 4-3-3 has shot to fame recently. It was made famous by the Dutch sides of the 70’s and is synonymous with Total football, which was created in that period.

For a 4-3-3 to be effective each player must control his zone. Zonal marking is used for all positions, as it makes it easier to press effectively. The only time zonal marking isn’t used is when the ball is about to be put in the box, at this point the marking switches to man marking for obvious reasons.

There are many ways in which a 4-3-3 can be used because of its flexibility. Some sides such as Bolton under Sam Allardyce used it as a counter-attacking formation. The back 4 generally would stay back while the wingers would try to play off the target man striker, normally Kevin Davies. The wingers would also provide service to the target man through crosses. The wingers though would play more like wide midfielders and would happily track back into their own half, much like Mourinho’s Chelsea.

Another way it can be used is in a very attacking sense. Here, the wingers would normally stay forward with the striker. All 3 midfielders may also have the license to make forward runs and try and support the attacking trio. If the wingers are pushing more centrally, or playing as inverted forwards, this will often mean that the full backs will push high up the pitch and become wingers themselves. A great example of this is Marcelo and Cristiano Ronaldo last season, Marcelo's runs forward allowed Ronaldo to cut in on his right foot to great effect for Real Madrid.

With the front three it also makes pressing high up the pitch easier than with a 4-4-2 formation, purely because the 4-3-3 formation is naturally further forward than a 4-4-2. A great example of pressing is the Dutch side in the 1974 World Cup, although this would be hard to recreate now due to the change of the offside law. When pressing, the side will try to force the team inside as this is where the 4-3-3 has a numerical advantage; it will also stop a long ball straight up one of the flanks which can be potentially devastating as the full back can get out numbered if the midfield is not quick enough to cover.

At all times in the 4-3-3 one of the midfielders will sit in front of the defence to form a defensive triangle and a midfield triangle. Defensively this is a very solid formation and can be hard to break down as each position is well covered by another player. The midfield diamond also allows a side to keep possession easily, especially if there is a numerical advantage in midfield. A great example of this in recent times is Barcelona. The midfield switches positions and rotates, constantly making space for a pass, Messi also joins in from his traditional striking position and adds another man to the midfield, making it even easier to maintain possession. This is especially effective against teams who play two in the middle. (see diagram above.)

A weakness of the 4-3-3 is the demands that it puts on the side. If a side is not well drilled it can be easily picked apart, especially if the pressing is poor. The flanks can also be easily exposed by a cross field ball as it can leave a 2 on 1 situation with the fullback and opposition winger. But this can be reduced if the winger is prepared to track back and follow the full back. But the flip side of this is that it can make the striker isolated.

The striker in this formation has a very demanding role as well. Not only has he got the responsibility of scoring goals but the striker also needs to be able to hold the ball up. The striker also needs the technical proficiency to drop into the midfield and then have the ability to pick a pass. More crucially, if the centre forward does not link the midfield with the attack the side can become predictable and very easy to defend against. Arsene Wenger found this out a couple of seasons ago when Robin Van Persie got injured. A good number 10 needs to have all the attributes needed to play up front in a 4-3-3. Unfortunately for Wenger he had no replacement for the striker and Arsenal's goal scoring and form dipped considerably.

All in all, the 4-3-3 can be a very attacking or defensive formation and its flexibility is one of the reasons why it's gaining more popularity in recent times. However, the high demands on the players and the technical ability needed, can often mean that lesser sides struggle to get success from the 4-3-3.

This article was written by Itsaballnotabomb, you can follow him on Twitter at - @ballnotabomb

You can find more of his work on his blog – itsaballnotabomb.wordpress.com

Things you may like to read

4-4-2- its failings and it's former successes

The Contemporary 4-2-3-1 and its modern popularity

England’s new 4-3-3 system, the platform for English success? – Part Two

Six things Andre Villas-Boas must do at Chelsea – in roughly chronological order.

1. Break the association with Mourinho

Even The Special One, with all of his pomp and arrogance, was referred to as “The Translator” when things didn’t go to plan. Mourinho’s stint at Barcelona was variously described as anything from Bobby Robson’s translator, to assistant manager. The fact that Villas-Boas was Mourinho’s assistant at Porto, Chelsea and Inter. It will weigh heavy on people’s minds, and Villas-Boas will need to mark his boundaries quickly. Many of Mourinho’s signings remain at Stamford Bridge, and others that were favourites of his. Players such as Drogba, Terry, Lampard, and Kalou will remember him from Mourinho days, and he will either have to immediately command their respect, or else there will be a problem with player power. Mourinho combated player power by ensuring that no ego was bigger than his own. His “Special One” press conference is rightly legendary. Villas-Boas has already sought to distance himself and differentiate himself from Mourinho. He achieved this by opting for a far lower-key initial press statement of “don’t expect something from one man”. Unfortunately, that is exactly why Abramovich has paid £13.3 million to buy out his contract at Porto. Abramovic expects Villas-Boas to deliver. The national press is already full of comparison pieces about Villas-Boas and Mourinho. The comparisons even go down to the way that both managers foster close relationships with their players.

2. Find replacements for Terry, Lampard and Drogba

John Terry is only 30, but he is showing signs of creakiness already. He was never one to rely on pace, admittedly. But when the little pace he has goes, he needs to be moved on. Most central defenders would be hitting their peak at his age, but John Terry seems to be past his.

However, more to the point, he’s a disruptive influence in the dressing room. Having publically stated that he would welcome the appointment of Guus Hiddink, Terry has let it known that Villas-Boas was not his first choice.

Drogba is also one of the most outspoken players in the dressing room. His powers have waned over the last two seasons, he’s no longer the force he was on the pitch. At 33, he’s in the twilight of his career, and may want to return to the French League for a swansong of sorts. One player already linked with Chelsea is Columbian 25 year old Radamel Falcao, who has scored 73 goals in 85 appearances for Porto in the last two seasons – including a record 18 in 15 in the Europa League.

Lampard is another who’s powers are on the wane. Replacing Lampard is less of a political issue than it is in the case of Drogba and Terry. Frank Lampard undoubtedly has a huge influence on the dressing room, but is also known to be a highly intelligent professional. Lampard in his prime never missed a game, and could guarantee 20 goals a season. His replacement is more of a tactical renewal, with another of Villas-Boas’ Porto stars Moutinho touted as his successor. The Portuguese midfielder is more versatile than Lampard. He also shares with Frank Lampard an apparent imperviousness to injury.

Villas-Boas will no doubt wish to bring players in, and will be backed in the transfer market by Roman Abramovich. My guess is that he’ll look to replace the aging spine of the team, and with that he’ll ensure that the biggest voices in the dressing room are his men, not Mourinho’s. He needs to get his buys during the summer, so that they can gel with the existing players.

3. Hit the ground running

Managing a top side in the Premier League is not an easy thing to do. Managing Chelsea in particular is turning into somewhat of a poisoned chalice. Just ask World Cup winning manager Big Phil Scolari, he was ousted before completing a season. With a billionaire owner who appears to be becoming increasingly restless and ruthless, and has proven that he’s prepared to fork out the money required to get rid of people before their contract runs down.

4. Win over the media

Sorry to mention him again, but Mourinho is the man with whom the parallels are being drawn. The media’s obsession with Villas-Boas being a “Mini-Mourinho” will not satisfy itself until he proves otherwise, or implodes under pressure. Mourinho had the press pack hanging off his every word and Villas-Boas will do well to avoid trying to be him. And he seems to be doing this already. An interview with Chelsea TV quotes him as saying “Don’t expect something from one man”, and he comes across as very quietly self-confident. But, pressure in England is far higher than in Portugal. The scrutiny of the media has often proved too much for some managers of big clubs, some are merely perplexed by it all.

Villas- Boas is young, good looking, stylish and intelligent – I hope for his sake that he’s given some time to establish himself.

5. Entertain

Porto’s unbeaten league campaign of 2010/11 produced 73 goals from 30 games. They conceded only 16, giving them a goal difference 27 higher than second placed Benfica. This is where Villas-Boas can really show his form, and step out from Mourinho’s shadow. His favoured formation at Porto was an attacking 4-3-3, and the players are there at Chelsea to be able to play any formation the manager asks them to – they certainly get paid enough to anyway! Villas-Boas will want to play the game his way, and that should make for exciting times at Chelsea. Villas-boas is famed for his meticulous approach to the game. Nothing is left to chance, and he develops game plans to exploit the opposition’s weaknesses.

6. Win everything

That means everything.

With an aging squad, a club might be expected to go through a transitional period of a season and a half, before the manager brings in enough of his own players and staff to get things running the way he wants.

However, this is not the case with Chelsea.

Abramovich will want to see returns this season. Some of Villas-Boas predecessors have been fired for not winning silverware in a season. Avram Grant was sacked for almost delivering. A League Cup final defeat by Tottenham, a Champions League Final defeat in the most agonising of circumstances, and a second place in the league wasn’t good enough.

Abramovich has only given the Villas-Boas a three year contract, so I’d expect that he’d want to see the Premier League title back at Chelsea within the first two years, along with the Champions League that has so far evaded him.

There is absolutely no doubt, Roman Abramovich cares about reputations. He’s brought the most hotly tipped managerial talent to Chelsea. But as he’s proven time and time again, he’s got no qualms about destroying reputations if he doesn’t get what he wants – and that’s a success in Europe.

This piece was written by Thomas Nash, you can follow him on Twitter - @MrThomasNash

Things you may like to read

The Eternal Struggle - http://tiny.cc/1hl0v

The Quest for the Holy Grail taken to a new level - http://tiny.cc/0cxnu

Andre Villas - Boas Scouting report v Newcastle 2005 - http://tiny.cc/yktki

Andre Villas - Boas Scouting report v Newcastle 2005

This is incredible. Below is a scouting report from the new Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas. The report is highly in-depth and is intriguing to read.

This document really gives you an insight to the level of preparation and the high degree of tactical scouting which is done in professional football. Not only this, the document also shows the sharp tactical acumen of Villas-Boas.

If you're interested, Chelsea won the game Villas-Boas was scouting by 3 goals to nil.

Boas leaked report

View more presentations from 03akkasi.

Here is a larger version

Things you may like to read

The Eternal Struggle - http://tiny.cc/1hl0v

Why Chelsea must drop Fernando Torres if they are to have any chance of success this season - http://tiny.cc/a3o11

Jose Mourinho. The ultimate manager or the ultimate journey man? - http://tiny.cc/ii8te

The Quest for the Holy Grail taken to a new level

Apart from the joy of football, every club in the world has one thing in common – to be successful.

To have their name in bright lights, carved into the history books for the rest of the world to see. People will do almost anything to achieve success, whether it is by buying the best players or hiring the best managers. What do people want after taking their first bite out of the success cake? They want even more success.

However, what follows is greed, jealousy and lust. But there are some people who relish and crave all of that. Namely Mr. Roman Abramovich.

Abramovich took over Chelsea Football Club 8 years ago and has been the sole reason as to why The Blues have been so successful. The Russian businessman has continuously plunged money by the lorry load into the club, and they have gone on to win 8 major trophies since his tenure started.

However, all 8 of the major trophies have come in England. 3 league titles, 2 FA Cups and 2 League Cups to be precise. Despite spending approximately £600 million on Chelsea since his arrival, they have yet to win a competition in Europe. Their sole aim to win the Champions League hasn’t been accomplished yet.

It’s the one box that remains un-ticked.

Mr Abramovich has tried everything. He brought in Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti, who have both won the Champions League with previous clubs. But both managers ultimately failed in bringing the Champions League to Chelsea. In between these two was, Luiz Felipe Scolari – a World Cup winning coach. Scolari was appointed, and sacked after 6 months. With the exception of Mourinho, who left by mutual consent, the other two were sacked for not winning anything, or not being in a quick fix position to challenge for anything. The price of failure is ridiculously costly.

Roman Abramovich is well known for being quick to pull the trigger to sack his managers. However, he’s also quick to pull the cheque book out to sign players, strikers in particular. Here are a few to reel off: Anelka £15 million. Drogba £24 million. Shevchenko £30 million. Torres £50 million. On these four alone, that’s £119 million pounds. £119 million pounds on four human beings!

Yet, that still didn’t get him what he wanted.

Notably, the fact Chelsea lost the 2008 Champions League final. It simply couldn’t have been made up. The final was being held in Moscow, a place Abramovich calls home and it was the trophy he has craved ever since he bought Chelsea. Furthermore, Abramovich had his ‘yes man’ manager in Avram Grant. Chelsea were also against their arch rivals, Manchester United. It was supposed to be Chelsea’s day, yet no one sent Cristiano Ronaldo or Edwin Van der Sar the script.

Chelsea haven’t been back to a Champions League final since.

The failure in the Champions League or in other campaigns have not stopped Abramovich from splashing the cash. Torres was bought for £50 million in January, but has only mustered a meagre one goal in 14 league games. This has led Abramovich to completely reform the Chelsea staff, both coaching and playing. Tottenham’s Luka Modric has been pinpointed as the man to get Torres to score again. Romelu Lukaku and Neymar have also been linked, and guess what positions these two play? Striker! Of these two, Lukaku seems a more viable acquisition, and the club are in talks with him.

News has broken out that Andre Villas-Boas has been appointed, at the cost of about €15 million (£13.2 million) and the expectation levels will be even higher for him following another seemingly huge shopping trip. What adds to the pressure is whether or not he can match or better what the last bloke who went from Porto to Chelsea. You know; that guy who wears a scarf and a beautiful coat – goes by the name of Jose?

Carlo Ancelotti’s dismissal sends a clear message. The message reads - win the lot or be sacked.

The quest for the Holy Grail has been taken to a whole new level.

This piece was written by Christian Brown, you can follow him on his Twitter - @Chris78901, Chris also writes for Football Speak too. All of Chris' work is on his blog, 1-chris78901.

Things you may like to read

The Eternal Struggle - http://tiny.cc/1hl0v

Why Chelsea must drop Fernando Torres if they are to have any chance of success this season - http://tiny.cc/a3o11

An odd Champions League statistic - http://tiny.cc/dquw9

Jose Mourinho. The ultimate manager? Or the ultimate Journeyman?

Jose Mourinho is simply a brilliant manager. His achievements speak for themselves. The last four clubs Mourinho has been at, he has brought major success to those clubs. The fact he has never lost a home game in 9 years demonstrates his fantastic qualities as a manager. Even though Mourinho is arguably one of the games finest managers, ever, he continually flirts with other clubs.

Since 2007 he has found himself at three different clubs. The longest term he has ever served in management is a mere three years with Chelsea. There hasn’t been a year where Jose Mourinho hasn’t shown light interest in a football club or been heavily linked with a club. Is Mourinho the ultimate Journeyman manager?

Jose Mourinho gained his reputation as one of Europe’s brightest young managers during his time at Porto. It’s no surprise. Seeing in a two year spell he won a Champions League, UEFA Cup, Portuguese Liga (twice), and the Portuguese Cup (again twice.) Mourinho offered something the modern game craves for. Instant success.

By the end of his first season at Porto, Jose Mourinho’s name was being linked with a host of clubs across Europe. And it was clear through Mourinho’s responses that he was seriously interested in moving to a larger club. Mourinho continually refused to rule out interest in different European clubs. Arguably, this was a sign of things to come. As the media frenzy surrounding Jose Mourinho was ever increasing. This lead to the Portuguese tactician to consistently hit the gossip pages in Italy, Spain and England. This unsettled and annoyed the Porto fans as it seemed their manager was looking for his next voyage. But I’m sure the Porto fans didn’t mind along as the team were successful on the pitch. And weren’t they hugely successful.

It was clear that Mourinho’s second season at Porto would be his final season at the club. The fantastic feat of winning the Champions League and the Portuguese League made Mourinho too big for Porto. Throughout Porto’s fantastic European Cup run, Jose Mourinho was being linked with several European power houses. The likes of Chelsea, Man United, Liverpool, R.Madrid were all in the papers linked with the Portuguese manager. Mourinho left Porto with an impressive winning ratio of 70%.

Chelsea in 2004 won the battle to acquire Mourinho’s services. The fans and players fell in love with Jose Mourinho. And Mourinho fell in love with the club, the fans and the English game. Mourinho, like at Porto was again dominantly successful with Chelsea. In his three years he won, two Premier League trophies, two League cups and one F.A Cup. It was only a matter of time till Mourinho was being linked to other European clubs. Even though Mourinho’s Chelsea were seen as the favourites to dominate Europe and England. It seemed Mourinho was already thinking of his next challenge. Again, he continually failed to rule out interest from a host of European clubs, such as Inter Milan.

The sudden departure of Jose Mourinho from Chelsea was a massive shock. Simply because it happened so early in the season (September 20th..) It was a decision which stunned the whole of European football. Had Mourinho’s relationship been a little better with Roman Abramovich maybe he would still be Chelsea manager. I heavily doubt though. Jose Mourinho was looking for his next test in management. But even after just three years at Chelsea, he left being Chelsea’s most successful manager. Winning 131 games out of 185, with an winning ratio of 70%. It seemed certain Mourinho’s next venture would be in Italy.

Inter Milan provided Jose Mourinho’s next challenge. Again Mr Mourinho provided the Italian club with instant success. In two years he won a phenomenal two Serie A titles, one Coppa Italia and their first European Cup in 46 years. Some argue that winning Serie A with Inter expected. As Mourinho’s predecessor Roberto Mancini won three Serie A titles in a row. However, Mourinho maintained their dominance in Italy and took Inter’s game to another level. As he mastered their conquering of Europe. Two European cups with two different clubs, he is simply a modern great.

However, even though Jose Mourinho’s success at Inter was nothing short of sensational. It seemed the Portuguese manager was desperate to live Italy. ‘I am very happy at Inter but not in Italian football.’ Again, Jose Mourinho sent the media into frenzy. And he was linked with a full host of Spanish and English clubs. Mourinho highlighted his interest in returning to the Premier League in 2009. ‘I would consider going to Manchester United but United have to consider if they want me to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson. If they do, then of course.’ This demonstrates his ultimate flirtation with other clubs. Mourinho couldn’t have made it more clear that Inter wasn’t he his long term aspiration. As Jose Mourinho was conquering Europe with Inter, he was plotting his next managerial challenge.

It seemed certain the 2010 European Cup final would be the last dance for Jose Mourinho and Inter Milan. Everyone was certain Mourinho would take the reigns at Real Madrid. This is due to the constant press speculation and interest in the job from Mourinho himself. 6 days later, Jose Mourinho was confirmed to be taking over at Real Madrid.

Jose Mourinho’s time at Madrid has been relatively successful. Of course they are 5 points behind Champions Barcelona. But, Madrid have been far more consistent so far this season, in comparison with the last three years.

But it seems Jose Mourinho is already planning his next move. A few days after Mourinho signed for Madrid, there were already rumours surfacing that Mourinho had an escape clause to leave Madrid at the end of each season. Whether that’s true or false is another question. But Mourinho continually keeps commenting on how he would love to ‘one day’ takeover at Manchester United. It does seem Mourinho doesn’t see his long term future in Spain.

Prior to Madrid’s Champions League tie against Lyon, Mourinho commented, ‘I love Chelsea. I was the happiest man [when there]. I was thinking to be there all my life.’ Jose Mourinho simply can’t keep his mouth shut and get on with his daunting task at Real Madrid. Arguably, Madrid is his hardest challenge. As Barcelona are getting stronger every year. However, some believe Jose Mourinho could be doing this to shift the power balance his way at Madrid. Arguably, the Portuguese manager has tried to gain as much power as he can wherever he has managed. Hence why he had difficult relationships with Abramovich and Moratti. Furthermore, it can be quite fairly said that Mourinho’s personality makes him difficult to work with. Some view him as arrogant and egocentric. And maybe that’s why Mourinho moves from club to club? As he is looking for a team, a set of fans and even a nation that loves his presence. Hence why he felt he could stay at Chelsea for ‘all my life.’ But the Madrid hierarchy know too well that his record for instant success speaks for itself. And if he toddles somewhere else its Real Madrid’s loss, not Jose Mourinho’s.

Mourinho is one of the greatest modern day managers, but he is the ultimate journey man. With Mourinho wherever he has been, you never get the sense of a long term ambition of him staying with the club. There always seems to be another challenge Mourinho has set his sights on.

Is Jose Mourinho more interested in personal glory rather than collective glory with one club? It seems quite visible that Mourinho is someone who prides his personal glory over being hugely successful with one or two clubs. Mourinho is highly ambitious and wants to win all the top trophies. And if that means spending a few years in Italy and Spain Mourinho is willing too.

For all the incredible success Jose Mourinho has had, winning 17 trophies in 7 years. And bringing instant success everywhere he has been. Mourinho clearly has journeyman characteristics. The average Mourinho managerial job lasts for around two years, this suggests he is reluctant to have a long term association with a club.

There is one certain value the special one lacks. Loyalty.