Sport
Inter vs Roma: There’ll be no sense of a reunion for Mourinho
Jose Mourinho left Inter as tears filled his eyes. In the early part of his career, emotion and connection were seen as crucial to his way of working; he had a way of tapping into his players’ minds and convincing them of his methods, preferring the siege mentality which helped him win big trophies, often as the underdog. Nowhere was that more true than at the San Siro, where he left as a treble winner, having gifted the Nerazzurri their first European Cup since the 1960s when nobody expected it.
During his two-year spell at the club, Mourinho had a point to prove. He wanted to show he was the best, the great leveller and destroyer of the Establishment. That was always what made him special in his first decade as a manager, reaching new heights or restoring clubs to former glories not seen in a generation. Because the calciopoli match-fixing scandal ended Juventus threat of a dynasty in 2006, by the time Mourinho arrived two years later, Inter were already the dominant force in Italy. While they would prove a good box-ticker in his pursuit of winning all of Europe’s major leagues, having already won the Premier League twice with Chelsea, the Champions League was where he was always going to be where he truly left his mark.
At first the tears were those of joy, from the thousands of Inter fans as the celebrated victory over Bayern Munich in the Santiago Bernabéu, ironically the home of Mourinho’s next club Real Madrid, as they were crowned champions of Europe in his final act. By then, his exit was confirmed; for all Mourinho used psychology and emotional relationships to get the best from his players, he has always been very cold when it came to his own career. He was a relentless winning machine in constant pursuit of his next victory, but that means some people get left behind. The pictures of him crying as he embraced Marco Materazzi, one of his chief lieutenants at the club, showed what he was feeling was genuine.
But on Saturday, when he makes his first competitive return to Inter with Roma, there will be no sentiment and emotion. The 12 years since he left will stand as testament to what has changed; both Mourinho and Inter have been through difficulty beyond anything that could have been foreseen after their split, but only the club looks like getting anywhere near their previous level. It is important to view winning the Champions League as what it is, a crazy victory against the odds that should be cherished and remembered, rather than used as the standard with which to judge others against. It was their high point, but years of lower top half league finishes, managers with no identity and general floundering has put their recent return to the top into context. They are where Mourinho left them, champions of Italy, but he hasn’t enjoyed the same success.
There is an argument to say not much has changed at all for Mourinho. At Roma, he is still an underdog and still trying to upset the old order, but he the point he is trying to prove is general relevance, rather than, as it was then, his mastery of the game. Mourinho has been battered and bruised by the changing ways of football; the need to play faster, more intensely and with much more risk than he ever did at his peak. Going into Real Madrid and then Manchester United, the two clubs who would have the best case to call themselves the biggest in the world, he was not able to create the typical siege mentality and use the tricks of the trade which made him so successful to begin with. Then going into Tottenham Hotspur and replacing Mauricio Pochettino, an exponent iof the ‘modern’ way of playing, was always likely to be tough. Coming out of those three jobs, despite varying levels of success in the first two particularly, the view of him has changed.
In many ways, he found Roma at the right time. They, like Inter, are looking to build up and win what they haven’t in years, and with nothing but his own ability to prove, Mourinho saw this as the long-term project he could get his teeth into. Back in Italy, where the desire for fast-paced, attacking football is not nearly as strong as elsewhere, and his reputation remains strong after Inter, it seemed to fit. But despite becoming the league’s biggest spenders, Mourinho hasn’t been able to get either the club or himself back challenging yet.
As for this weekend, there will be no sense of reunion. Inter are gunning for their title defence, and Mourinho will be where he’s most comfortable, cast in the role of pantomime villain. His powers have waned, but in the stadium where he was at his best, he could still have a few things to say.
