17th June 2013

“Absence makes the heart grow fonder”, goes a popular adage. Jose Mourinho, the temperamental coach must have felt exactly the same when he was the coach of Real Madrid. The “Special One” says he missed the mentality of English football and is optimistic of winning the premier league title for Chelsea in a couple of seasons. When queried by a reporter at what has changed him at the age of 50, he replied candidly to the tearing cameras, “more grey hair”, after pausing for a while, he put his hand to his jacket pulling up a pair of reading glasses “and these” he said to shutterbugs, apparently indicating his loss of reading visibility at 50. And in his usual flamboyant style said older, wiser, less confrontational. Critics dispel him as an instable and a reckless manager. This was also a reason why Manchester United and Manchester City overlooked him for the instability he brings to the team. Yet “mellow Mourinho” when he assumed charge at Real Madrid referred himself as a “Special One” and also told he wasn’t a Potter either to perform miracles.

The Setubal born soccer strategist is rarely doubted for his tactical acumen, which even the best coaches would hate to question. His masterstroke was evident when he led Inter Milan to beat Barcelona in the 2010 Champions league. His motivational techniques are highly practical and have been experimented with success. Football runs in into his blood, his father Felix Mourinho was the goal keeper of Portugal. As a young teenager he prepared match reports and dossiers for his father’s teams.  His playing career consisted of a few unsuccessful stints with clubs, but it was well known that his aptitude was on man management and organizational abilities.

Mourinho is considered as one of the best coaches in Europe. He has won four consecutive league titles (two at Porto and two at Chelsea). He was also named as the best football coach by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS). “The Special One” as he likes to be called was paid a whopping 11.9 million as manager of Real Madrid. He has won more than 20 major trophies during his career and has recently been appointed as the manager of Chelsea. He has recently been criticized for his attitude and is known to bring disagreements, arguments and tussle among players. As the manager of Chelsea he will be paid a staggering $ 40 million, the highest by any standards in the World. Mourinho, has already taken over the reins of Chelsea and is aiming to end its premier league drought in the next couple of seasons. His work styles are quoted by the sport’s lovers as “motivational”.  A typical coaching slide of his begins with leadership, connections and relationships. He also advises his players on emotional intelligence, coping with pressure and sharing emotions. His man management skills have also won praise from various quarters. The trained sports methodologist has chosen veteran John Terry to lead Chelsea in the premier league. Terry, 32 is no longer the young kid, a terrific and reliable centre back.  However, he has chosen by Mourinho because of the influence he brings into the dressing room. It clearly reminds an 18^th century adage “Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely”. The maverick coach has also roped in Andre Schurrle from Bayer Leverkusen, apparently to strengthen the area attacking line behind the striker.

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