Sport

Jose Mourinho struggling to stay relevant in the modern game

Brendan Crossan

Brendan Crossan

Brendan is a sports reporter at The Irish News. He has worked at the media outlet since January 1999 and specialises in GAA, soccer and boxing. He has been the Republic of Ireland soccer correspondent since 2001 and has covered the 2002 and 2006 World Cup finals and the 2012 European Championships

Jose Mourinho's 'match-fixing' dig at Antonio Conte is a new low for the Manchester United manager
Jose Mourinho's 'match-fixing' dig at Antonio Conte is a new low for the Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho's 'match-fixing' dig at Antonio Conte is a new low for the Manchester United manager

JUST when you thought there was no-where else to go, the ever-resourceful Jose Mourinho somehow finds a new low to descend into.

If we didn’t know any better he looks like a man raging against the dying light. He cuts the figure of someone who has lost his way, who should have taken a break from the game rather than jumping from one high-pressure job to the next.

He’s gone from Porto to Chelsea to Inter Milan to Real Madrid back to Chelsea and now to Manchester United with little or no breaks in between each posting.

He’s running on empty, looks tired and no longer resembles the buoyant Special One of years gone by.

But the insults and bad behaviour continue to flow out of the Portuguese.

Mourinho has a rap sheet the length of his arm.

Over the years, every insult was forgiven because he was winning.

Now, his star has dipped to such a degree that he counts the meaningless Community Shield in his list of successes.

With each passing press conference and post-match interview there seems the inevitable rolling of an incendiary device in the direction of a pundit who has the temerity to criticise him, or one of his peers.

But, generally, Mourinho doesn't need to be provoked to launch attacks.

He tore Paul Scholes asunder last week after the former Manchester United midfielder gave an enlightened, accurate critique of the tactical misuse of Paul Pogba.

At times this season Pogba has been deployed as part of a two-man midfield holding role. It’s the least effective role you can play the talented midfielder.

France made the same mistake in the Euro 2016 final against Portugal and paid the ultimate price for failing to use Pogba in the right position.

When Scholes suggested Pogba performed best as a running midfielder during his Juventus days rather than a holding role before questioning the player's fitness, Mourinho hit back in his next press conference.

The United manager said Scholes didn't commentate and always criticised and suggested that the former midfielder was jealous of Pogba's earning power.

It was another bizarre insult in a long list of bizarre insults by Mourinho.

And he seemingly hasn’t forgiven or forgotten Antonio Conte for his zealous celebrations at Stamford Bridge before the final whistle of Chelsea’s hammering of United last season.

This, coming from the man who ran the length of Old Trafford when his Porto side knocked United out of the Champions League.

This, coming from the man who almost started a fist fight at Camp Nou for his pitch celebrations after Inter Milan had knocked Barcelona out of the Champions League semi-finals in 2010.

This, coming from the man who moaned about Man City’s post-match celebrations at Old Trafford earlier this season.

This, coming from the man who gouged the eye of the late Tito Vilanova after a sideline kerfuffle in a Barcelona versus Real Madrid game.

This, coming from the man who contributed to Anders Frisk retiring from refereeing prematurely after death threats from Chelsea fans.

This, coming from the man who had to settle out of court with Chelsea doctor Eva Caneiro for his public rebuke.

This, coming from the man who has goaded Arsene Wenger ever since he set foot in England.

This, coming from the man who tried to take Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool side down a peg or two by suggesting that they weren’t the last wonder of the world.

Then there was the public stoning of his own player, Luke Shaw.

More recently, he has reminded Conte of his match-fixing charge during his Juventus days.

There is no line Mourinho won’t cross.

In this day and age where there is a press officer in every camera shot and where footballers are trained to give boring interviews, Mourinho cuts loose every other week with scant regard for the reputation of the club that employs him.

For most of Mourinho’s career, his bad behaviour has been tolerated because he invariably guaranteed silverware.

But those days appear numbered.

While he had some successes in Spain, he couldn’t wrestle supremacy away from Madrid’s arch-rivals Barcelona.

With Mourinho, the wheels eventually come off.

His second spell at Chelsea ended in disaster.

The following year Conte won the Premiership title with virtually the same group of players.

His time at United to date can be described as stuttering. Performances swing from limp to decent and back to limp again.

His colourful press conferences distract from the poor football being served up.

Throughout his career Mourinho has struggled to get the best of creative players.

Pogba remains a conundrum – because of Mourinho, not Pogba.

The £75m signing of Romelu Lukaka in the summer didn’t make sense and is never likely to make sense.

It’s hard to know what Manchester United side stands for these days.

Jurgen Klopp has a plan.

Pep Guardiola obviously has a plan.

At Spurs, Mauricio Pochettino has a plan.

Manchester United, by contrast, sorely lack an identity and a vision.

In the battle for new ideas, there is a feeling that the Special One is being left behind by football's new intelligentsia.

Apart from the insults, Jose Mourinho is struggling to stay relevant.