Crimes Against Football

Mourinho's supposed love of the game

Following Chelsea's loss against Bayern Munich in the European Super Cup Jose Mourinho was livid. Despite Bayern enjoying over 70% of the possession and landing ten shots on target to Chelsea's six, Mourinho was adamant that his team deserved victory. In fact, Ramires' sending off as a result of a horror challenge on Mario Gotze was deemed a crime against football. It was. Just not in the way that Mourinho thought. "When a referee takes this decision, I'm not sure he's in love with football," Mourinho said post-match. I'm not sure the self-proclaimed 'Special One' is in love with football. It's one thing to defend Ramires' brutal assault on the ankle of one of the game's brightest young stars. After all, Jose has to protect his players and emotions run high whenever he faces his sworn enemy, Pep Guardiola. Ramires was adequately punished on the night with a sending off and Gotze was thankfully not too seriously injured.

But Mourinho is committing greater crimes. With the first clash of England's big clubs fading into a bore-draw, the Chelsea and Manchester United managers would have looked to their substitutes to see what changes could be made. The game was screaming out for some creativity and flair but both #FreeShinji Kagawa and Juan Mata were left warming the bench. In the wake of the game eyebrows were raised and questions were posed however, cooler heads pointed out that both players had been involved in the Confederations Cup in Brazil during the preseason and would need some time to return to full match fitness. It was David Moyes' first home game as manager of United and only the second game of the season, a draw was a good result for all concerned. Since that glorious advert for the Premier League that took place at Old Trafford both players have featured for their teams. Kagawa looked promising but not fully fit in United's victory over Leverkusen while Mata played 57 minutes in Chelsea's loss to Everton at Goodison Park and came off the bench with 23 minutes remaining to witness Chelsea's narrow lead be reversed by Basel in a spirited performance. During the summer, rumours abounded that Mourinho was unconvinced of Mata’s qualities and he was linked repeatedly with moves to Barcelona and United. Most fans paid little heed to this speculation but Mourinho's recent comments suggest that he is less than enamoured with the gifted Spanish midfielder. Oscar's impressive early form means that the Chelsea boss sees him as his primary number ten. Mata, dropped from the squad for the match against Fulham, is expected to adapt.

What does Mourinho see that we don't?

Mourinho claimed after the Fulham game that Chelsea were changing to a more proactive philosophy based on possession, shorter passing and high pressure, a 'profile' that Mata does not fit. Lest we forget, this is Juan Motherfucking Mata arguably the most technically gifted footballer in the premier league. The same Juan Mata who has averaged a goal every four games since joining Chelsea and has been the club's player of the year for the past two years. Mata and Oscar are both excellent players and proved last season that they can play effectively together. The Spanish international (Vicente del Bosque thinks he fits the profile) has nothing to prove, except apparently to his manager who has the sheer nerve to look straight at the camera and state that Mata is unable to play a possession based game. Who is Mourinho trying to fool? He does not play proactive football and the game against Bayern shows clearly that when it matters he will fall back to his comfort zone - sit deep, cede possession and counter swiftly. Against Bayern most teams would be wary but the enormous discrepancy in possession between the two side points more to Chelsea's tactical decisions than Bayern's superiority. Of course, Mourinho is the manager and should set up his team as he sees fit but to claim that he is transforming Chelsea to an attacking side and that Mata cannot play the system is disingenuous. Perhaps Mata is the sacrificial lamb, the player that Mourinho is willing to strike down in order to assert himself over a squad that, while still bearing his hallmarks, has clearly evolved and changed since his first stint in charge. Mourinho is not a man that loves football, he is a man that loves results. Rather than finding a solution for Mata and the mass of creative players at his club, the ‘Special One’ is going to bend all to his will. 

It is not clear who is truly in charge between manager and owner at Chelsea. It is certainly odd that despite the squad being very well-stocked with attacking midfielders, the club’s biggest single outlay was on Willian at an estimated £30 million, not to mention the addition of Andre Schurrle. What is clear is that Roman Abramovich wants more than just results. The Russian oligarch craves silverware but demands style as well. It was this conflict that led to Mourinho’s first ‘mutual’ termination. With his second coming forcing out the likes of Mata, Jose’s pragmatic approach could be his undoing at Chelsea. Again. Eventually something has got to give and it is unlikely to be the man who has invested hundreds of millions of pounds into the club. It is hard to argue that Mourinho won't be successful, he always is. But, unless he is playing some brilliant mind game that nobody else can see, his battle against a talent like Mata is a crime against football and is symptomatic of his long-standing distrust of flair and unpredictability. Elements that the totalitarian manager can't control. And sooner or later Mourinho will pay for his crimes.