Nuno: I owe my big chance to Mourinho
Coach full of praise for his former manager as Wolves take on United, writes Jason Burt
Jose Mourinho had an unusual phrase to describe Nuno Espirito Santo. He was “born in the crib next to Dom Afonso Henriques”, a reference to the first king of Portugal who secured independence in the 12th century. It was a grand compliment that referred to the former goalkeeper’s strength and unmistakable presence; to Nuno’s ability to sort things out and take control. And to be a little scary, if needs be.
That was evident during his playing career even if, more often than not, he was on the bench but still had a significant influence in the dressing room. That influence was felt during half-time in the 2003 Uefa Cup final between Mourinho’s Porto and Martin O’neill’s Celtic. It was a fiery game and the burly Celtic defender Bobo Baldo attempted to confront striker Derlei as the players walked off. Mourinho later chuckled that Nuno had intervened to leave no one in any doubt as to who was in charge of the situation.
Porto won and then, the following season, won the Champions League before Mourinho left for Chelsea and although Nuno was backup during that time to Vitor Baia – “one of the best goalkeepers in history” – it was a period that, naturally, will “stay in our memories forever”.
And so, ahead of facing Mourinho’s Manchester United today, the manager of Wolverhampton Wanderers knew there would be questions about his relationship with the self-styled “Special One”. So, what did Nuno take from those extraordinary two years under Mourinho?
“[He is] obsessed about winning, about success, about developing players. A fantastic manager,” Nuno said before offering an insight into the powerful, emotional bond Mourinho can develop and why he regarded his second-choice goalkeeper so highly because he knew he would fight for his place in the team and fight for his team.
“He knew how to take the best of each of us,” Nuno explained before adding: “Before players, they are human beings. You have to look at a player that you manage. First of all, you have to know him. Then you have to know what moment of his life he is. If he is young, if he’s experienced. All these things require large knowledge of some emotional aspects. Because you cannot ask a player to do what you want and believe what is better for him and the team if he is not in the right mood. Before being a professional player you have to know he is a human being and a man with a family, a wife, a girlfriend, or has social problems, or whatever. This is one thing Mourinho did so well. He knows his players. And I am trying to do the same.” Whether 14 years after announcing himself on the world stage by masterminding Porto’s 3-0 victory over Monaco in that Champions League final, Mourinho still has that same intensity and aura is debatable. Nuno sees no difference between Mourinho’s demand for “unity” when he played for him and now. “I see a manager who wants to win,” he said. “That’s the way you achieve things. If you don’t obsess about small details, try to reach those maximum levels of intensity then you cannot win. This is what I learnt from football. You have to be obsessed about getting your players to do the best you can do.”
Nuno, who shares the same agent, Jorge Mendes, with Mourinho, is achieving that at Wolves who have collected eight points, and lie ninth in the Premier League after being promoted from the Championship, which they dominated. More than that, though, it has been the attractive way Wolves have played that has caught the eye.
Nuno, who has also coached Valencia and Porto, said this bold approach would continue at Old