Mourinho needs your love

Let me get this straight…

You’ve got a manager who has won four league titles on the trot, has completely demolished the old guard of Manchester United and Arsenal, is the highest paid manager in the world of the most expensive squad in the world, and he’s not happy?

That’s a perfectionist for you.

In fact, if you believe Peter Kenyon (something that’s very hard to do for a United fan), Mourinho’s not only a perfectionist but also a very emotional and “heart on his sleeve” kind of guy.

And that explains why he feels unloved, the big-hearted baby that he is.

Over at Soccernet, the Insider is talking about Jose Mourinho leaving Chelsea — and the reasons given are that he is unhappy in England because the media doesn’t love him despite his obvious domination of English football.

Read my review of the last Chelsea — United match; this year, it’s not about the money anymore. Chelsea have been helped a LOT by the money, but all of that pales in comparison to Mourinho’s tactical nous. You don’t build a masterful defensive side that defends (and attacks) like a pack of trained wolves just by buying the best.

And as Mourinho has found out, you don’t win the media’s affection just by winning the Premiership.

Is Mourinho unappreciated? Perhaps, but not by anyone who has watched Chelsea play over the last two seasons. The man has serious faults, but he is an excellent manager and whisper this, but Ferguson and Wenger will probably agree with my assessment that right now, he is the best manager in England.

But what really amazes me is how much the media has blown this up — So he’s not happy with being hated and he wants to be accepted as a hero. That’s an ego maniac for you. But so what? Who really cares?

Mourinho’s old enough and smart enough to know that widespread adulation will not come his way because of the sudden nature of his success. He came out of nowhere, and within months he had the league title wrapped up. For those who had been shaken out of their slumber, the second season was another rude awakening as he repeated the feat and effectively wrapped up the title by December. Stark contrast with the other two big guns who have each had to carve their successes through time and lots of pain.

Maybe if Mourinho kept his heartfelt emotions a little closer to his chest and tried to think before he spoke, he would not make the rash comments that have earned him rightful scorn. His sour demeanor after each loss is typical of a perfectionist, but he has also praised Ferguson as the model of a great manager.

Maybe Mourinho should try his hand at learning some of those “good manager skills” from Ferguson, especially the tact to lose more graciously. That, and another season at the top, might just make the people love him more.

But something tells me that the perfectionist inside Mourinho won’t be happy even if all of England loved him to death.