On a recent visit to Setúbal, near Lisbon, I noticed some massive billboards at the side of the road for an exhibition marking half a century on earth of the town’s most famous son. José Mourinho – 50 anos, documents the meteoric career of The Special One, through photographs of his many professional triumphs, with a few personal moments thrown in. It was a reminder of how revered he remains in Portugal - perhaps the country’s most famed living son, alongside Cristiano Ronaldo. But on arriving back in Madrid, I realised how differently the Portuguese and Spanish regard him. In his adopted country, his reputation has been on a steady slide for much of the three seasons he has spent here, … [Read more...] about Spain has melted Mourinho’s aura of invincibility
José Mourinho
La Liga: Barcelona close in on long-awaited title
Finally, the day is near. It has been long overdue for a team that have left all others in their wake in La Liga, and were seemingly champions elect by Christmas, but FC Barcelona have still yet to officially win their long-awaited title. A Lionel Messi-inspired 4-2 win against Real Betis at the weekend leaves his side just two points from the prize, which could be secured on Wednesday if Real Madrid fail to win at home against Málaga or at the weekend, when Tito Vilanova’s men travel to Atlético Madrid. Last season, Barcelona lost the liga crown they had held for three consecutive years to José Mourinho’s team and as the curtain was raised in August with the league opener – the … [Read more...] about La Liga: Barcelona close in on long-awaited title
La Liga: Tito Vilanova steps out of Barcelona’s shadows
As the curtain was raised on the liga season last summer, he was largely an anonymous figure known only by FC Barcelona aficionados, but one lone act would change that. As a melee that so often accompanies a Clásico broke out at the Camp Nou between the 22 men on the pitch, substitutes and technical staff, José Mourinho calmly strolled over and poked Tito Vilanova in the eye. The Barcelona assistant coach swiftly responded with a slap to the back of ‘The Special One’s’ head. Vilanova was no longer anonymous and while still in the background, his figure would loom large over Barça’s season, culminating in his appointment as the new head coach after four years of Pep Guardiola at the … [Read more...] about La Liga: Tito Vilanova steps out of Barcelona’s shadows
Pep’s legacy
When Pep Guardiola appeared before the press on April 27 to announce his departure as FC Barcelona’s head coach at the end of the season, he said he felt exhausted and “empty.” Four years leading the club had brought a record-breaking haul of trophies and made him perhaps the most respected coach in world football. But, as Guardiola admitted, “Four years at Barcelona is an eternity and I need to recharge.” His achievements during that time are undisputable: two Champions Leagues, three Ligas, and one (possibly two) Copa del Rey titles; the development of a homegrown youth side that provided Guardiola with 22 first-team players; and the employment of a short-passing, hi-tempo attacking … [Read more...] about Pep’s legacy
La Liga: Momentous week for Barça and Madrid as El clásico looms
When a gaping 10-point chasm separated Real Madrid and Barcelona, Pep Guardiola was adamant: winning the league is impossible. As the difference closed to eight, six and then four points, he stuck to the party line, but ahead of what is set to be a defining couple of weeks in the race for La Liga and the Champions League, the FC Barcelona coach finally ceased his mantra at the weekend, admitting the domestic title “is a little less impossible now”. This Saturday, with five games remaining, Real Madrid travel to the Camp Nou attempting to get one hand on the league trophy that has eluded them for four years, but first-up is a Champions League semi-final first-leg game for Los Merengues … [Read more...] about La Liga: Momentous week for Barça and Madrid as El clásico looms
La Liga: Levante’s old guard still in the mix
As the season began way back in sunny August, there was little doubt about which teams would be competing for the title. But as the usual suspects for the Champions League places were being rounded up, no one could have imagined that one surprise package, labelled “Ugly, poor and bad at football” by their own supporters, would be in contention for a top-four finish with seven matches remaining. Villarreal, Sevilla, Atlético Madrid, and even Málaga with all their Qatari millions, are being outdone by Levante Unión Deportiva, who currently sit in fifth place, just one point behind their city rivals Valencia in fourth. What is even more astounding for a club that is more accustomed to … [Read more...] about La Liga: Levante’s old guard still in the mix
La Liga: Spain’s title race is alive…just
This week saw Barcelona claw open the door to the Liga title, which had seemingly been slammed shut by José Mourinho’s men over a month ago. Following back-to-back draws for the leaders, who dropped points against Málaga at home and Villarreal away, it was mini-crisis time at Real Madrid as the gulf that was a 10-point lead at the top of the table was cut to six, ahead of what could be a decisive game at the Camp Nou next month. Pep Guardiola continues to toe the diplomatic line, insisting the six points are still too much to make up. But even he must be overjoyed that news has turned from talk of a possible Pasillo at the home of the Catalans, to whether or not Madrid will crumble under … [Read more...] about La Liga: Spain’s title race is alive…just
Athletic Bilbao returns to big-time with Manchester United tie
Considering the global appetite for European and particularly English football, it is often difficult and potentially even dangerous to try and determine whether the behaviour of the fanatical supporter seated next to you at your local watering hole is driven by a genuine affection for the game or a lifestyle choice born out of social compulsion. However, occasionally there are games that by their very nature facilitate the making of that distinction. Games which are rendered significant not by the hyperbolic pre-match bluster of television or the immediate consequence of the result but by historical context, and a certain nostalgia-tinged sense of occasion. For Athletic Bilbao, the tie … [Read more...] about Athletic Bilbao returns to big-time with Manchester United tie
La Liga: Higuaín proves his worth once again
The scrawny 19-year-old with the big hair salvaged the ball from the sidelines when 85,000 others in the stadium thought it had gone out of play, played a nice one-two with José Antonio Reyes and slotted the ball into the back of the net to send the fans wild. It was a last minute winner against RCD Espanyol which kept his side in the running for the Liga title, which they would go on to win a few weeks later. The ecstatic Argentine threw his shirt in the air, Iker Casillas ran the length of the pitch to join in the celebrations, Fabio Cannavaro waved the corner flag aloft and Ruud Van Nistelrooy held the discarded shirt up to the crowd as if to announce it: Gonzalo Higuaín had … [Read more...] about La Liga: Higuaín proves his worth once again
La Liga: Guardiola keeps Barcelona guessing
Any seasoned FC Barcelona fan knows there comes a time in every season when coach Pep Guardiola’s contract renewal is talked about by the press and mulled over by the man himself, before he signs up for another year. Since taking the helm at the Catalan club in 2008, he has always insisted on signing on for one-year contract extensions at a time in order to keep up his own high standards as well as those of his players. But this year, something feels altogether different. There is a nervousness in the air, other offers are being discussed and his players, who usually go through these same motions annually, seem more unsure about his future than ever before. One look at his record in … [Read more...] about La Liga: Guardiola keeps Barcelona guessing