Surrounded by the comparative calm last summer of a five-star hotel
on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, Jose Mourinho was asked if he felt a
particular responsibility on his return to English football.
"Maybe I have a bit more in terms of being one of the more
experienced guys," he said. "Probably I have to be an example for
everybody in many aspects: conduct, support, be there for everyone when
for some reason they need me."
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| *Cesar Azpilicueta |
Petr Cech, the goalkeeper, looked unconvinced when he was
subsequently asked if Mourinho, now into his fifties, really had
changed. "I think only the season will show," he said.
The usual stresses and strains of actual football matches have
provided the answer. Little about Mourinho is actually different. As a
manager and planner of big matches there are moments when he is touched
by genius, notably this season in the wins over Manchester City and
Paris St-Germain. He also remains one of the most charismatic people you
could meet but, when things do not go his way, his behaviour can
disintegrate towards disgrace.
Saturday was the latest example. Yes, the stakes were high.
Mourinho was losing his remarkable 77-match unbeaten sequence at
Stamford Bridge and Chelsea were probably squandering the Premier League
title. It was also normal that he might have been frustrated by some of
the decisions of referee Mike Dean.
Yet this was the same Mike Dean whose leniency when Chelsea
drew 0-0 at Arsenal irritated Arsene Wenger and prompted Mourinho to
note that his rivals "liked to cry". When the roles were reversed on
Saturday, Chelsea were not just blubbing; they were kicking and
screaming like a class of five-year-olds whose Easter eggs had been
confiscated. And over what exactly? Was there a moment of terrible
injustice in the game. Well, only one. It was when Ramires, a Chelsea
player, deliberately struck Sebastian Larsson in the face during the
first half and was allowed to stay on the pitch.
Beyond that, there was a series of decisions that could be debated
endlessly. Larsson might have conceded a penalty for an earlier shoulder
charge on Ramires. Adam Johnson might have been sent off rather than
booked for a high foot on Cesar Azpilicueta. Even if replays suggested
otherwise, you could argue that Sunderland's winning penalty, when
Azpilicueta's foot got tangled with Jozy Altidore, was a little soft.
The point, however, is these were all finely balanced
decisions that Dean could argue, with some conviction, that he got
right. So how did Chelsea react? A furious tantrum from Mourinho's
assistant, Rui Faria, that ended with him being dragged away from Dean
by a combination of Mourinho and goalkeeping coach Christophe Lollichon.
Then, from Mourinho himself, a bizarre press conference in
which he praised his players, Sunderland, Dean and referees' chief Mike
Riley. Sarcasm, it seemed, was heavy, particularly when Mourinho
referenced how Riley had "organised things" and said referees were
"doing really well according to the objectives".
No questions were permitted about Ramires. Nothing about Faria. And,
ahead of tomorrow's first leg of the Champions League semi-final against
Atletico Madrid, no questions on the shortcomings either of his team
or, dare we say it, how they were organised by the manager. It was all
rather pathetic and it will be fascinating to see how the Football
Association reacts. Its criteria for taking action against a manager is
if the comments have questioned the partiality of an official. Mourinho
could argue that he was being sincere, that there was no hidden meaning
and that he has no case to answer. But if just about every person who
was listening suspected that he was hinting at some sort of conspiracy,
is the FA not at least obliged to ask for some clarification?
Mourinho's antics did blur the focus on the mistakes of his
players, notably Mark Schwarzer, whose parry into the path of Connor
Wickham allowed Sunderland to equalise Samuel Eto'o's volleyed opener.
Then, after Chelsea had struggled to turn almost two-thirds of
possession into clear chances, it was Azpilicueta who first slipped and
then rashly went to ground in trying to tackle Altidore.
Fabio Borini is on loan from Liverpool and, before that, had
spent two years largely in Chelsea's reserve team. It would be
understandable, then, for him to take particular pleasure from his
winning goal. "My first thoughts are with Sunderland - that's the shirt
I'm wearing," said Borini. "The Tottenham defeat was probably a punch in
the face - it woke us up and turned it over for us. When miracles
happen it's because people always believe."
That was a reference to Gus Poyet's assertion that a miracle
was needed. Should Sunderland win their game in hand, they would
actually now move out of the relegation zone.
"We needed something special," said Poyet. "To be the first
team somehow to beat Mourinho's Chelsea at home is a privilege and a
little bit of mixed emotions because I've played here. What I have done
for their title hopes is bad - I'm sorry but I was just doing my best
for Sunderland."
Surrounded by the comparative calm last summer of a five-star hotel
on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, Jose Mourinho was asked if he felt a
particular responsibility on his return to English football.
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