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Why El Clasico at the Camp Nou on Jan. 25 could end Mourinho’s Real Madrid career

Angela Asante, January 23 2012,
Wednesday night’s crucial Copa del Rey match against Barcelona – El Clasico part II – will determine something big for Jose Mourinho, be it for the best of for the worst.
Jose Mourinho is gradually disappearing in the dark at Real Madrid. Beating Barcelona could however ignite his career.
Jose Mourinho is gradually disappearing in the dark at Real Madrid. Beating Barcelona could however ignite his career.
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Jose Mourinho’s career at Real Madrid is taking a rather uncomfortable twist. When the former Porto, Chelsea and Internazionale manager arrived in the Spanish capital, the majority of Madridistas hailed him as the one and only man capable of offering Los Blancos what they’ve been dying for since the past few years: stylish football and immense authority in Spain and in Europe through trophies in the cabinet.

But as much as anyone can see, Real Madrid are still living in the shadow of bitter rivals Barcelona. In his first ever Clasico in charge, Jose Mourinho experienced a humiliating 5-0 defeat to eventual La Liga champions Barcelona. The Special One later claimed revenge as Cristiano Ronaldo’s sublime header in the Copa del Rey final ended Real Madrid’s title drought.

However, the 2011 Spanish cup triumph was just a brief moment of ecstasy among an ongoing period of suffering for Real Madrid in the hands of Barcelona. In short, El Clasico means 90 minutes of torture for all Madridistas around the world.

Wednesday’s encounter at the Camp Nou could as well mean the end of Jose Mourinho’s reign at the club. Should Real Madrid lose, the Portuguese coach might instantly lose the respect of both his players and the majority of fans even if it would take time before he parts company with Florentino Perez.

This condition is already shaping, anyway. During Real Madrid’s 4-1 comeback victory over Athletic Bilbao last Sunday, a portion of the home crowd whistled Mourinho—something to which the outspoken coach responded to reporters:

“I'm not bothered by the whistles at me. It's not a problem. It's the first time it's ever happened to me. There's a first time for practically everything.”

Apparently, Jose Mourinho’s idea to play Pepe in midfield in the first leg of the Copa del Rey quarterfinals is causing trouble in Real Madrid’s dressing room. It could indeed be viewed as the Special One’s worst decision since his arrival at the Santiago Bernabeu in 2010.

Pepe virtually destroyed Real Madrid’s chances of achieving something positive against Barcelona last Wednesday. In addition, Pepe hurt Real Madrid’s image through his infamous stamp on Lionel Messi’s hand (an incident for which he controversially went unpunished by the referee).

It is now interesting to know how Pepe’s presence within the squad will affect Real Madrid’s team spirit. Could this be an issue too big for the Special One to manage?

On Wednesday night at the Camp Nou, Jose Mourinho won’t only be up against Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona. The Special One will be in a real fight to regain total respect and power at his own club, Real Madrid.

According to Jose Mourinho, the Spanish cup is Los Blancos’ “third priority”. Suddenly, however, it looks like beating Barcelona at the Camp Nou in the second leg has become an obsession and a wish to grant at all cost regardless of the importance of the competition.

The best and only way for Mourinho to cease the worrying noise in the media with immediate effect is to surprise the world by ousting favorites Barcelona from the Copa del Rey’s quarterfinal stage. This would mean moving mountains for Mourinho, based on the facts that Real Madrid have a 2-1 deficit to overturn, that Real Madrid crumble before the Catalans and that Barcelona are monsters at the Camp Nou.

But if the most likely thing happens, which is an exit from the cup for Madrid on Wednesday, don't be surprised to see Jose Mourinho quitting the Bernabeu in the summer as AS reported. A statement in the paper read the following:

“Mourinho has had enough. According to Siro [a Spanish journalist who made a revelation on Punto Pelota last Sunday], the Real coach has radically changed in recent days and has decided to leave. Siro received a call during the programme and reported that Mourinho has tired of press opposition which is relentless.”

Barcelona vs Real Madrid

Date: Wednesday, 25 Jan 2012
Time: 16:00 ( US/Eastern )
Competition: Spain Copa del Rey
Live/Repeat: Live
Venue: Camp Nou, Barcelona (Barcelona)

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