Mourinho – Italy’s loss and England’s gain?

It was claimed before the Champions League tie between Chelsea and Inter that all of Italy, other than the Inter fans, wanted Chelsea to win. Such is the apparent dislike for Jose Mourinho. The fact that he led his side to victory and managed to fire a couple of well aimed comments in the direction of the Chelsea owner, were examples of why he is so unpopular.

Characters

People say that there are not enough characters in the game today, yet when a character emerges, such as Mourinho, they quickly get shot down. Throughout his career he has been largely loved by the fans of the club he is managing and hated by everybody else. Only in England did he manage to get grudging respect and admiration from several quarters.

His move to Italy has always looked to be an uncomfortable fit. This season, particularly, has seen Mourinho looking more and more discontented with life.

Fine

In February, Mourinho had to pay an £11,500 fine to settle a disciplinary case over a disagreement with a journalist.

Last month he was given a £16,000 fine for saying “everything was done for us not to win” following a 2-0 defeat of AC Milan, a game in which Inter had two players sent off.
Mourinho also said the game had left a “strange taste” in his mouth, adding: “I’ve realised they won’t let us wrap up the championship early”.

Gesture

Mourinho also made a ‘handcuffs’ gesture after seeing Walter Samuel sent off and Ivan Cordoba booked during the 0-0 draw with Sampdoria, and the gesture was interpreted as him suggesting his side were being victimised by referees. He subsequently received a three-game touchline ban and was fined £35,000 for “insulting officials”.

Mourinho has not spoken to the Italian media for a month and was recently fined £35,000 by the Italian Football Federation for criticising officials.

Strike

The referees have had enough of Mourinho and reports in Italy suggested they were prepared to go on strike if he was not harshly dealt with.

Now, Mourinho has come out and said exactly how he feels about life in Serie A.

“I don’t like it and it doesn’t like me. I am very happy at Inter but not in Italian football. I always speak with my heart but if I spoke with my heart now about Serie A I would be suspended.”

These comments came before last night’s Champions League quarter-final against CSKA Moscow and come in the wake of much speculation that he is likely to return to the Premier League at the end of this season. Rightly or wrongly Mourinho seems to feel that he was more accepted and appreciated in England than he is in Italy and has made no secret of his intention to return to England at some point.

Linked

Recent reports have linked Mourinho with Manchester City and Chelsea, although Roberto Mancini and Carlo Ancelotti may have a view on that!

A few weeks ago Mourinho looked almost certain to lead Inter to his third consecutive Serie A title but defeat at Roma at the weekend has left them just one point clear at the top. Despite that, he has taken Inter to the Champions League quarter-finals and beaten Chelsea, one of the favourites for the tournament. Success in Europe was his brief when he took the job.

Impressive

His record as a manager is hugely impressive and last night’s 1-0 win over CSKA Moscow makes a Champions League semi-final become a real possibility.

Mourinho needs to feel loved and it doesn’t look as though he will get that feeling by staying where he is. Italy’s loss will be England’s gain.