Martin Samuel responds: Is José Mourinho still special?

With Europe's top clubs all having laid out their managerial plans for next season, Martin Samuel asked whether you would give Jose Mourinho a top job. You weren't backward in coming forward and below the seven times Sports Writer of the Year answers the best of your comments.

I think all the big clubs like Barcelona, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and even Arsenal should try to get him. Look at what he made of Chelsea. Jose Mourinho knows how to focus on winning, which is ideal for struggling, big clubs because he binds strong players together. Chelseafan.

MS: Some of the others I can understand, but Arsenal? Nobody could have run that club better than Arsene Wenger, and quite possibly nobody will.

I think Mourinho is too good for any domestic competition other than the Premier League right now. Arsenal would best benefit from his talents, because the team is not motivated right now. Sifiso Patel.

MS: I take your point about the Premier League. It is interesting to note that no European team eliminated an English side from the Champions League this season, so the Premier League is definitely where it is at. But Arsenal again? Mourinho is a short-term manager; Wenger is all about the long term. It would mean changing the entire philosophy of the club with no guarantee of success, considering the resources at Chelsea and Manchester United.

Mourinho would find Spain and Italy boring. Maybe he could take Manchester City to success. Micky.

MS: There would be nothing more boring than hitting that glass ceiling, though. It depends what City are capable of achieving, and that means getting a straight answer out of the owner. Tricky, Micky.

Jose’s style worked at Chelsea but then look at Avram Grant. He is much the opposite yet has also shown great prospects and taken the club a step nearer its ultimate goal of winning the Champions League. Philip.

Avram's not that good. Contrary to popular myth, when he took over Chelsea prior to the Manchester United game, both teams were on 11 points from six matches and United’s goal difference was superior by one. So he lost two points and 18 goals to United over the season, while having the full backing of Abramovich, unlike Jose, while losing a League Cup final, unlike Jose, and getting beat by Barnsley in the FA Cup, when the big four were already out. All he did was get the bit of luck against Liverpool that Jose didn’t. Davie P.

MS: We start a debate on Jose and end up talking about Avram Grant. He wouldn’t like that, you know.  That is why he needs a job.

Any questions over Mourinho's ability are without merit. His record is exceptional. The only thing he has not done is remain at a club long enough to build more than one great team, as Sir Alex Ferguson has on numerous occasion at Manchester United and Arsene Wenger has several times at Arsenal (from the 2005 FA Cup winning team, only Kolo Toure and Cesc Fabregas are still first choice players). The continental approach, at the big clubs at least, tends to see managers take charge for no more than five years. Mourinho will deter some clubs because of the cautious style of his teams; that is probably why Barcelona are not interested. However, Inter Milan, birthplace of catenaccio is a match made in heaven. Anthony.

MS: A short-term manager for a short-term club. I agree.

I would love to see him take over at Palermo or Napoli for next season. They are a perfect fit for him. Justin.

MS: Why? Because he looks a bit like Al Pacino? Edoardo Reja is doing a fine job at Napoli. Leave him alone.

Chelsea under Mourinho weren't boring when they played a fast 4-3-3 and had Arjen Robben and Damien Duff on the wings (remember how they dismantled a good Barcelona team?). It was only after the owner started making ridiculous purchases that the style of play got dull. Encurtido.

MS: Presumably, by ridiculous purchases you mean Andriy Shevchenko and Michael Ballack, two men that everybody – and I mean, everybody – thought were going to guarantee Chelsea every championship trophy for the next three years. And Mourinho wanted them, too, contrary to popular belief because at that time Didier Drogba and Michael Essien were struggling to adapt to English football. It was only after Ballack and Shevchenko arrived that Essien and Drogba began performing to potential, which is what caused the selection problem and harmed the balance of the team.

Top managers win big games. As a Manchester United fan, I know Jose beat us in rather a lot of big games and you have to respect him for that. Jose was wise man not to let the vitriol associated with the England job destroy his career. Inter Milan would suit him. Chorltonian Red.

MS: Yes, absolutely no vitriol at all at a club that has had 19 managers in the time Sir Alex has been at Manchester United.

His style of football at Chelsea was boring, despite all the talent and money at his disposal. Let him go to Milan. In England, many people are tired of his ravings and the unattractive football, when compared to Arsenal and Man United. Fred, London.

MS: This is the alternative view of Jose and I was surprised it was not better represented in these posts. We must be missing the old boy.

Mourinho can only make Inter Milan better. Inter were given the first title by the authorities two years ago, the second was won with Juventus relegated and AC Milan on an eight-point deduction, and now they are struggling not to lose a title they should have secured months ago. Still, they are nowhere in the Champions League. All this with the best squad and the longest quality bench on earth. CsB.

MS: Put like that, maybe Inter and Mourinho are a match after all. By the time Jose has joined you in succinctly rubbishing every achievement under Roberto Mancini, if he then wins the league it will seem as if he has invented the wheel: exactly as he likes it.

There is only one Mourinho. The Special One will be back and this time he will have greater incentive. I will love to see how Chelsea respond without the likes of Drogba, Frank Lampard, Essien, Ricardo Carvalho and Petr Cech. I can't wait to see what Avram Grant can do with his ‘own’ team. Can you imagine what it would be like to watch Chelsea play against Mourinho's new club in the Champions League? Rob.

MS: Yes, I can, and sadly all the fun would be off the field, as usual. And that is some exodus at Chelsea, Rob. Are you sure it isn’t just wishful thinking?

Inter are not a stable club and they do need sorting out. I am not as certain as you are that they will win the league and many fans are unhappy with Mancini. Inter are perennial underachievers in the Champions League, too, so whoever takes the job has a lot of cleaning to do. Jose would be perfect and I do think Massimo Moratti, the owner, will spend that kind of money to get him. David.

MS: I was working on the basis that the title is for Inter to lose; beat Parma this week and there is nothing Roma can do. I accept the other points, not least that if anybody is going to spend £79m on managerial change it is Moratti. 

Liverpool is a possibility. I think he would love to get one over on Rafael Benitez and he likes the passion of Anfield. Jeremy.

MS: And it would be worth it just to see their faces.

If Mourinho really wants a challenge I know another West London club on the lookout for a manager (please not Iain Dowie). Andy Hillman.

MS: Do you mean you have given up hope of seeing Zinedine Zidane at Loftus Road? Say it ain’t so.

Wouldn't Atletico Madrid be the ideal challenge for José? SOMboy.

MS: Why, when Javier Aguirre has just got them into the Champions League, despite losing Fernando Torres and Martin Petrov last summer?

Why doesn't he take a job somewhere like Manchester City where he has an average amount of money, and an average squad, so he can prove he really is the special one? Until he does that, he will just be a lucky manager. Jay.

You must be joking. What were Porto if they weren't an average team in Champions League terms? He won it with them and you are still saying he got lucky. Comical.
C Savvas.

MS: I’m with Mr. Savvas on this one, Jay. The Champions League win at Porto is the rebuttal to all accusations that Mourinho is about money alone; also, if Chelsea still haven’t got the title back in, say, five years, will people then concede that as well as money, ability is required to coach a championship-winning team?

I’d be absolutely delighted if nobody wanted him or could afford him. We love him at Chelsea, and really hope we won’t have him against us any day soon. Sam.

MS: Too right. If Chelsea didn’t mind going up against Mourinho, he would have walked out of Stamford Bridge and into the job at Tottenham Hotspur last September. A clause in his termination stopped that.

Comments

[ari]

GRANT YOU ARE THE BEST FOR THE BEST TEAM IN THE WORLD. I understood the fans of chelsea in september when avram grant had been appointed to lead chelsea at this season ,because they don't know him before ,and they were very suspicion or scepticism in his ability and qualification to lead a big team like chelsea , and the football media was based on his CV, but now after 9 months and the well done and the wonderful achievement in the premier league and the champions league with all different things he did ,especially in the last weeks and brilliant managment of the games and the new grant philosephy to play " freedom with responsibility" and the very genius steps in the changing positions for some players "assien in the sEmi-final match" and the very success subs ,I think that avram grant proved him self and too much to drive the chelsea fans change their opinions and to give the great avram the big one footballing genius a lot of respect and also to chant his name and loudly .

[phild26]

with regards to porto winning the champions league...anybody remember their winning goal against manchester utd?....was it not a terrible goalkeeping error which enabled Costinha to score? no error, no progress for porto...mourinho is a great manager but grant got chelsea to beat a better Liverpool side this season in europe. jose would have put john terry up front for the last 5 minutes.

Jose Mourinho is still one of the best managers in the world and for me only Sir Alex Ferguson, marcello lippi are above him and i cant see Sir Alex leaving United so i think only Lippi and Jose should be linked witht top jobs if the clubs really want to achieve

[HenryC]

Spain - boring?? Why?? Short term manager, short term club: has to be REAL MADRID. Big money, big players and.....Raul. Or maybe Sevilla. Double UEFA cup winners - smaller club than Rangers - who have not quite fulfilled their potential.

[Jimmy Greaves]

As a Chelsea fan I didn't like our football after Jose's first year either but he had to get results fast for Roman - can you imagine what he might have done with the team if he had SAF's or Wenger's support? What he did with Chelsea in 3 years was a bloody miracle!

[jerry]

Drogba, Frank Lampard, Essien, Ricardo Carvalho and Petr Cech . Carvalho was Mourinho only signing in this list . The rest were pre signed up by the previous manager .
The " special ones`s " record on signing was dodgy with Sidwell , wright Phillips and many others , I think this is what frightens the owners off .

[Pedro]

a brief reminder that Porto has won two champions, 1 UEFA, 2 Intercontinentals, 1 Eudocup and lost one Cup to Juventus. Compare this record with almost all the 'big' clubs in England...

[Glynn]

As a fan, what I resented about Jose Mourinho's Chelsea was that with all the resources that they had, they were very rarely able to play teams off the park. They were pragmatic, which makes them easy to admire, but very difficult to love. I think Jose would suit the Italian league, where winning is the only concern and excitement is a bonus. Inter would suit him best, and I'm sure he would enjoy the task of turning a group of unquestionably talented individuals into a consistently good team.