Jose Mourinho's man-management skills

The Chelsea fans can’t get enough of Jose Mourinho

If there is one thing that stands out about Jose Mourinho’s first term as Chelsea manager apart from the level of success he had, it would be his relationship with his players. In fact, if you look at his time at Porto and Inter Milan, you would have to say the same thing. He is one of the best man-managers there is in the game.

Thinking back once more to his time at Chelsea before, and you would often hear from players back then talking of Jose having a “backs to the wall” mentality and building up team spirit to fight for each other.

It seems that six years on, nothing has changed!

John Terry is quoted speaking shortly after appearing in Stilian Petrov’s charity game at Celtic last weekend for leukaemia research (make your donations here) and he has been quick to point out that what seemed like a fragmented Chelsea at times during the last two seasons, has been built back together as one in the short space of time Jose has been back here.

He said:

“We are looking fit and very much together – and Jose brings that.

It is us against everyone else and I think that is what made us when he was here before and we are very much in the same mould again.

His man-management is excellent and he makes people want to play for him. He has it spot on.

If there was a managerial manual he would tick every box. We are delighted to have him back.

He has come home and all the players feel the same.

Hopefully what we know about Jose and what Jose knows about the Premier League will make the ­difference in the title race.”

Now I say fragmented at times during the last two seasons and I really mean that. That doesn’t mean that the players didn’t pull together when it mattered most (Champions League, FA Cup and Europa League wins) but we were never consistent enough throughout the season. All of us would have loved to have sustained a realistic title challenge over the last few seasons wouldn’t we.

Now I have been quick to jump on what I personally felt was a poor performance at the time against Manchester United at Old Trafford. I wrote on here that it was a boring game of football and I really felt that way. Looking at it now, it seems I was a little too hasty. Looking at Chelsea, we remain unbeaten and a point at Old Trafford now seems like a good result long term.

We have to remember that building a squad that are quite literally all in, takes time. As Jose installs and builds on the whole backs to the wall, us against the world mentality, it’s important that we grind out results and we have been doing so.

If any of you know of any Liverpool fans, I bet you would have had your ears chewed off about them winning their three games and being top of the league! Typical! We know they will drop away and their realistic aim is to push for a top four spot at the end of the season.

As for Chelsea, this run of Premier League games coming up is just as important as a trip to Old Trafford. Everton away is never easy, Fulham at home in a local derby followed by another London derby and a trip to White Hart Lane. That is a crunch game and will be a point of reference for both managers to see where they are at this stage of the season.

Jose will continue to take things game by game and will continue to analyse the opposition and prepare his players as he normally does for each of those games. Every single player that crosses that white line will have that “it’s us against the world” mentality and will want to do their best for the manager, their team mates and the fans and it already gives us an advantage in my opinion.

Do you feel as though the players at Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal have that same mentality within their squad?

It’s Jose Mourinho’s approach to man management that makes him head and shoulders above the rest in the Premier League and over the course of the whole season, could prove to be the difference.

That’s why Chelsea are right up there as favourites for the title from nowhere this season compared to the last two.

Jose Mourinho has come home and in doing so, has rekindled the fire of old around the place and personally, I cannot wait for the next game and the next.