Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
MOURINHO AND A STRANGE CASE OF DEJAVU
The rows, the moaning, the sheer misery... we’ve seen it before and know how it ends
WHY always him?
We’ve been here before with Jose Mourinho and we have a fair idea of how the story ends.
Tales of player unrest, battles with the board being fought in the court of public opinion, and officials caught in his crosshairs, are all too familiar.
When the Manchester United boss isn’t parking the bus he is throwing people under it.
While Pep Guardiola at Manchester City praises his young players holding the fort in preseason as the A-listers enjoy their holidays, 56-year-old Mourinho is frothing at the mouth about having to babysit the United kids.
While Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool has told Nathaniel Clyne to put his family before football after the birth of his son last week, Mourinho has questioned Anthony Martial for not wanting to cut short his time with his loved ones.
While everyone else showered Paul Pogba with praise and respect for his efforts with France at the World Cup, Mourinho’s first public contribution was to warn the midfielder that he needed to bring his form from Russia back to the Premier League.
No wonder then that while the other five clubs in the top six look ahead to the new season with eager anticipation, the hourglass is being turned upside at Old Trafford. Now the question is being openly asked as to when either Mourinho or United will decide enough is enough.
Three years ago after a summer of discontent at Chelsea, the Blues sacked Mourinho for the second time shortly before Christmas.
Back then the story was a similar one: A new contract months earlier. Talk of a dynasty after initial success.
A transfer window that saw the Portuguese critical of the club for not landing the likes of John Stones. Players being pushed into the firing line before deciding to challenge his authority.
In the end, then-technical director Michael Emenalo was forced to admit Mourinho had been sacked because of a “palpable discord” with his dressing room.
The likes of Eden Hazard, Diego Costa and the so-called ‘Chelsea Rats’ were no longer having him.
Nor Iker Casillas, Pepe, Sergio Ramos and Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid. When Ramos questioned Mourinho’s penchant for washing his dirty laundry in public he was dropped for a Champions League clash at home to Manchester City a few days later.
When Pepe called for more respect to be shown to legendary keeper Casillas, criticised publicly by Mourinho, the then-madrid boss accused the defender of being unhappy about losing his place in the Real side.
A year after signing a new contract that would have run until 2016, Mourinho left Madrid by mutual consent in May 2013. And so it goes on.
The outstanding, illustrious career of one of the world’s top managers punctuated by controversy and unrest.
During his first spell at Chelsea Mourinho fell out with owner Roman Abramovich, his adviser Piet de Visser and sporting director Frank Arnesen.
A seat on the board for another of Abramovich’s confidants, Avram Grant, did little to help matters, while Mourinho’s treatment of the likes of Arjen Robben and Joe Cole raised eyebrows.
For the likes of Arnesen and Emenalo read Ed Woodward.
For Robben, Cole and Pepe read Luke Shaw, Martial and Pogba.
Time is ticking on the man formerly known as the Special One.
Mourinho and Manchester United once seemed like a marriage made in footballing heaven.
Now they are looking like an odd couple.