As I watched Inter's run to the Champions League title last season, the whole soccer world was buzzing about Jose Mourinho. Sure, it was a great achievement to win three trophies with the Milan outfit, and no one can deny Mourinho's ability as a man manager and motivator, but with the amount of money at his disposal, he failed to produce any good football.

Samuel Eto'o, one of the best strikers of the generation, was employed as a leftback at times, with Diego Milito operating alone up front. At times, such as the second leg against Barcelona in the Nou Camp, the Nerrazzuri played without any strikers at all.

Yesterday, Mourinho was at it again. With his team trailing 2-0 at halftime, he took off playmaker Mesut Ozil and put on combative midfielder Lass Diarra.

Later, trailing 4-0, Mourinho made yet another defensive change by taking off attacking leftback Marcelo, and replacing him with the more defensively-sound Arbelo Arbeloa.

At times it is acceptable for a coach to use defensive tactics. In a competition such as the World Cup, less skilled teams such as Switzerland or Honduras will always go out to "park the bus" against skilled teams like Spain or Argentina.

In club football, financially-challenged clubs like Rangers will have to do the same.

But Mourinho has managed the richest clubs in the world, and still sets his team up with two-holding midfielders no matter what, and as was the case in the second half against Barcelona, sometimes three "stoppers."

Mourinho has been successful, but it is always easier to destroy than create, and when his teams face sides with the same financial level, Mourinho becomes a coward.

Beating the once great Ajax, now irrelevant in international competition due to teams like Madrid, Inter and Chelsea spending lavishly, is all well and good, but Mourinho must at some point produce a team that can play good football and win, especially given the amount of money he spends.

If this is not good football according to you then I wonder what is.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qijWG6O6A1o

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giJmO0f8-5c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jU3nR5lkkUE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DwTdwf3bVw&feature=related

6 Domestic League, 3 Domestic Cup, 3 Domestic Super Cup, 2 League Cup, 1 UEFA Cup, 2 UEFA Champions League

In the light of the fact that he is currently managing the so called "eternal rival" to my beloved Barcelona, I would not consider someone who has clinched the above as a coward.

The issue at stake is that he is a man obessed with proving himself and his worth, this is done sacrificing club loyalty and entertaining play on the altar of title winning and in part his self obsession.
He gets away with his style of "packing the bus" play mostly because most clubs are greedy and overly enthusiastic about titles and honours (isn't it what they are there to do?) no longer giving considerations to club-history and entertaining play philosophy(giving value to fans loyalty). I am not holding forth for the Barca management but I guarantee you that no coach of the catalonian side will bring in the defensive philosophy of the ilks of mourinho and get away with it, the game of soccer has to be total in nature, entertaining while result-oriented, not grinding out results like JM does; the 2nd leg of Inter @ d Nou in last yrs CL was an affront on beautiful soccer and apart from the uphoria of the "mourinho-mania fans" ardent lovers of footie were sacndalised @ that display. I can imagine how the likes of Cryuff must have squirmed watching such display (himself a Dutchman, bashed the Dutch team for their style of play in the mundial finals against the free-flowing Spanish side).

Mourinho once criticized Celtic's coach Martin O'Neill and his team for playing non-attractive football, and recalled the 2003 UEFA Cup final between Porto and Celtic, when, as he said "we kept the ball and they just ran all over the pitch trying to get to us with their horrible and aggressive style", (Google)

You can imagine the kettle calling the pot black in the above quoted lines. I think it is pertinent to observe that the changes he made during the "thrashico" was to stem further damage rather than a winning formula because it was apparent he had no answer to The Blagurana that night.

He is not a coward but his level of success has made him want to continue at that level and he'l stop at nothing for its sustainance even if it means playing the most un-attractive football ever and having to buy and buy just to save face, his ever loyal fans will term it another marvellous invention of the special one.

bash673:

If this is not good football according to you then I wonder what is.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qijWG6O6A1o

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giJmO0f8-5c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jU3nR5lkkUE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DwTdwf3bVw&feature=related

Gbam. Good stuffs