Mourinho is a winner and can rewrite history
HISTORY is written by the winners - and once again Jose Mourinho has claimed the right to his own narrative.
An irresistible trophy-winning machine, he ended a troubled first season at United in typical fashion.
Two trophies. Champions League qualification. Job done.
Football is about winning - and so is Mourinho.
That is why his decision to sneer at his Premier League rivals, following Europa League triumph, was wholly understandable.
There will be those who will wonder why he chose a platform of celebration to start another fight. Why he feels obliged to remind the world of his achievements, rather than merely bask in them. Because too many needed reminding.
Reports of Mourinho’s demise were premature.
Four miserable months at Chelsea did not make him a busted flush. Rather it proved to be the briefest punctuation to a remarkable period of just over two years that have yielded four trophies.
No other manager can boast such a record on these shores during that time. Arguably no other manager has been so vilified over the same period.
He has every right to believe he is judged by different standards to his peers.
Win trophies and he’s criticised for his pragmatic style. Fail to win and he accused of losing his touch.
Mourinho is defined by the silverware he wins. It’s why United turned to him to guide them out of the trauma that has followed Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement. And he has delivered.
“The poets are the ones that win every match,” Mourinho said in the heady moments following victory against Ajax in Stockholm. “I think I’m going to try to have one of these jobs in a few years.”
It’s fair to assume he was referring to Jurgen Klopp and Arsene Wenger at least - perhaps Pep Guardiola and Mauricio Pochettino, too.
All finished above his United but only Wenger has the chance to end the season with a trophy when Arsenal face Chelsea in the FA Cup final today.
Tottenham, in particular, are the darlings of the Premier League but are still to prove they are capable of winning anything.
If that sounds harsh, it is a harsh reality of the parameters in which Mourinho operates. Rest assured he would not celebrate second place - nor would his detractors.
Football is about tangible success - and there is no better barometer than trophies in the cabinet.
Mourinho’s methods might not be to everyone’s taste - but their effectiveness is beyond question.
The challenge now is to build on the success of his first year in charge - and few would doubt his ability to do just that after overseeing United’s most triumphant season of the post-Ferguson era.
Defeat in Stockholm would have cast a very different light on the campaign. But that is immaterial. United won.
Of course they did. It’s what Mourinho does - in case you forgot.