“Wenger? He’s a specialist in failure. I’m not.”
He arrived at Stamford Bridge this summer as The Happy One: refreshed after a tumultuous season at Real Madrid, in which he did as much to make his own position untenable is the board did to remove him from power.
He picked fights with dressing room favourite and Bernabeu legend Iker Casillas, benching him in favour of Diego Lopez for his last half-season as manager, and even turned on Pepe—a countryman!—in an attempt to destabilise things further.
In the end, all parties were happy to part ways; Mourinho sealed his return to Chelsea and, during his unveiling, looked fresh-faced, peaceful and happy.
“I am the Happy One,” he stated to a packed press room. “Calmer? I believe so [..]for sure I have a different approach and perspective.”
But fast-forward to February 2014 and the cat’s out of the bag: “Mou” isn’t happy, nor is he content; he’s been patiently waiting for a moment to strike, and with Arsenal’s incredible form over the first half of the season, he’s been unable to do so.
Rather than snap too early, á la Rafa Benitez all those years ago, he’s bided his time and waited for the inevitable to occur: the Gunners’ form has dipped, perhaps alarmingly so.
Arsene Wenger got away with one at St. Mary’s Stadium in January, with his side playing horrendously poor football yet still scraping a 2-2 draw in a tough venue.
“The mark of champion,” fans said. More like the calm before the storm.
Their 5-1 loss to Liverpool could have been 10-1, and their 0-0 draw with Manchester United midweek couldn’t have been more timid—the sight of a team trying desperately not to lose despite sitting top of the league for months on end will have had Jose licking his lips.
Now Chelsea sit top on 57 points, albeit largely due to Manchester City’s game with Sunderland being postponed, and the claws have come out; Mourinho has finally removed his mask.
With 12 games to go and the table the way it is, have no doubt this was carefully measured by the Portuguese. The Blues have negotiated the entire season thus far in what appears to be first or second gear, and while Manchester City and Arsenal have been maxing out the throttles, this side continually give off the illusion that there’s plenty left in the tank.
If that’s the case, and Mourinho’s timing is indeed impeccable, then we’re in for one hell of a ride.
Mourinho is a repellent figure in football. There is a reason he was branded ‘The Enemy of Football’ in Spain because he is exactly that. A boring tactician who has bought the majority of his success or played anti-football to achieve it.
As an Arsenal fan for 25+ years I do not find the bickering between EPL clubs stimulating at all. This time, however, our Manager at Arsenal asked for it and I find it embarrassing to hear these comments from Wenger. Last season he had very little to say for himself, now that Arsenal has performed better, he appears to think he is the “wisdom” amongst EPL managers. Mourinho is known to throw barbed comments at others, however, this time he has not done anything more than presented the FACTS on the issue.