Jose Mourinho rejects a perfectly rational argument
When the ball left the nimble, vaunted feet of Mesut Ozil, Jose Mourinho knew it was his. The German playmaker was inches away from the touchline, and Mourinho himself, when he swept the ball beyond Adriano Correira and towards Cristiano Ronaldo.
Real Madrid’s No 7 had already made his move, an incisive dart-in behind Carles Puyol and finished to Victor Valdes’s despair, proceeding instinctively to wheel away in celebration.
Mourinho, in disdain as much as in elation, punched the sweet Catalonian air, knowing he had written himself into Real folklore, knowing he had achieved something remarkable, something to be cherished. Real had secured their first victory against Barcelona in four painful years and their first overall at the Camp Nou in five.
They had obliterated ruthlessly the record for the most goals scored in La Liga – 109. But most importantly, Real had extended their grip on the Spanish Primera Division to seven points with four matches remaining.
There is a patient demeanour to the Portuguese manager’s indomitably passionate core but he knew then that his moment had come. Real were to be champions of Spain. No doubt attached to it. Whatsoever.
Mourinho’s incertitude and the ten-year transformation in the Premier League
It is slightly different this time. Perhaps it is because the Premier League season is a mere 11 games in. Perhaps it is down to the fact that, as he reckons, he has adopted a considerably more serene character. Perhaps it is the unthinkable, the notion that he doesn’t trust his team to vindicate his soaring expectation.
Perhaps it is his “fear of failure”, as Arsene Wenger put it.
Or, just maybe, most feasibly, it is merely that he is diffusing the sheer weight of expectation laden on his formidable Chelsea team. He knows Chelsea are sure favourites for the title, and deservedly so, but wants to be certain.
But then another argument seems to have eclipsed Chelsea’s seemingly indomitable contention for the title. It is the engaging, intriguing and contentious question of whether Chelsea can emulate the Arsenal ‘Invincibles’ team which won the title unbeaten in 2003/04. It is a perfectly rational argument, when the armoury of talent at Mourinho’s enviable behest is considered, but he is refusing to engage in such speculation.
He argues it is an impossible feat in the current climate of financial power and increased competitivity in the Premier League, that the English top-flight has transformed dramatically within ten years of Wenger’s iron squad.
Manchester City were yet to reap the financial benefits of Sheikh Mansour’s takeover of the club when Arsenal made extraordinary history. Tottenham Hotspur, much changed now, were a club who settled, without remonstrance, for mid-table obscurity, far from their current Champions League ambitions. Roman Abramovich had only just begun the process of transforming the sheer landscape of English football with his Russian roubles.
But there remains a visible similarity between the ‘Invincibles’ of 2004 and the current assembly of stars at Mourinho’s behest.
They are both teams boasting quality of gargantuan proportions.
Appreciation of the unappreciated, the invisible
It is little wonder that Chelsea were tipped unanimously to regain the title after a four-year wait. Mourinho invested prudently in the summer, acquiring the majestic Cesc Fabregas, the potent Diego Costa and the diligent Filipe Luis to further bolster a side who were brimming with talent anyway.
Fabregas’s impact upon his arrival, although uncharacteristically anonymous at Anfield on Saturday, has been exceptional, totaling 9 assists, a solitary goal of sublime technique and an average pass accuracy of 89% in 981 minutes of solely Premier League football.
Costa’s records are equally impressive, equally vindicating Mourinho’s impressive business with 10 goals and a shot accuracy of 82% in merely 752 minutes of league action.
Luis has featured merely on five instances for Chelsea in the league but his diligence and commendable work ethic, on full display during Cesar Azpilicueta’s recent three-match suspension, but has displayed why he was a player of such value in Atletico Madrid’s La Liga-winning and Champions League final-reaching team last season.
Yet Chelsea’s supreme quality extends beyond their glowing summer business. Nemanja Matic, re-acquired from Benfica in January, has settled impeccably into familiar surroundings, a combination of indomitable strength, power, poise and mercurial passing armoury.
Mourinho’s managerial success has been built upon the appreciation of the unappreciated, the invisible.
There is more, though, to Chelsea’s brilliance than Matic’s excellence. There is Oscar’s astonishing endeavour, Eden Hazard’s mesmerising skills, tricks and direct running, the cohesive defensive partnership formed between Gary Cahill and John Terry, the promise of Thibaut Courtois, the legend of Didier Drogba, the buccaneering roles adopted by Branislav Ivanovic and Cesar Azpilicueta and much more.
What, however, further enriches the proposition of Chelsea emulating the ‘Invincibles’ is their success in big matches – draws at Old Trafford and the Etihad and a victory of indomitable desire to win at Liverpool on Saturday.
There was also the convincing triumph against Arsenal in October at the Bridge. Chelsea have shown not even the Premier League’s best can derail their charge towards the title. Whatever the place, Mourinho’s men have shown they can get the job done.
Just like the ‘Invincibles’ of 2004.