So the Spanish press, Ramon Calderon, illustrious football coaches, pundits and perhaps millions of fans across the globe are pointing at Jose Mourinho as the reason behind Real Madrid’s UEFA Champions League semi-final stage exit. They have singled out the Special One’s “outrageous” comments before and especially after April 27’s European Clasico as the poisonous snake that nibbled Real Madrid’s chances to the benefit of rivals Barcelona.
“Mourinho has gone too far,” said ex-Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink as he rejected Jose’s thought about a conspiracy to have Barcelona reaching Champions League finals.
Another hater of Jose Mourinho’s character, Ottmar Hitzfield, described the Portuguese as someone “arrogant, haughty, chewing gum and somewhat of a boor.” Hitzfield’s blunt statements rounded up his opinion which he revealed as follows:
“Such a way of playing [negative football against Barcelona] doesn’t relate to the demands of Real [Madrid]. It is really embarrassing for Real Madrid. It harms the good name and the good image of this legendary club.”
The general opinion is that Jose Mourinho is an enemy to football—not only because of his negative play options, but also because of his outspoken persona. In contrast, the world respects Pep Guardiola and celebrate Barcelona as a “God-given” team that honors viewers with “football being played the right way”; this passing and possession game of theirs which no team seems to be able to match. Well, no team? Real Madrid apparently proved otherwise, though, in the 2011 Copa del Rey final.
Talking about the Spanish Cup, Jose Mourinho used it to accomplish one mission: ending Real Madrid’s title drought. The sweetest thing for the Spanish giants is that the triumph came through a famous defeat of bitter rivals Barcelona. It was time, indeed, for Real Madrid to put their hands on the Copa del Rey title after it went missing from their trophy room since 1993.
But then, this happens:
Barcelona get revenge on Real Madrid through El Clasico III and IV in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals. It’s not a cup won for Barca, though. It’s just another Champions League dream shattered for Real Madrid.
Jose Mourinho asks for one or more answers to the main reason behind the many crucial referee decisions that have controversially gone Barcelona’s way in the UEFA Champions League in recent years. But Mourinho gets neither “conspiracy backing Barca-favoritism” nor “football’s natural human errors” as an answer to his “Porque?”. Instead, a rain of criticism pours on the one and only “Special One”.
Suddenly, Jose Mourinho’s success in the Copa del Rey seems to be of no value—as if triumphing in a Champions League semi-final tie is worth more than winning a preciously decorated Spanish Cup trophy.
Yes, that's what happened after Real Madrid marked El Clasico II with a 2011 Copa del Rey triumph.
Apparently, many people now believe that for Real Madrid to restore their tainted image, “harmful Mourinho” has to be relieved of his coaching duties. But this opinion seems to mask a few important points.
Claiming that Jose Mourinho “has gone too far”, for example, could very well appear as overlooking one’s right for freedom of speech. Another point could be the “blatant truths” behind Mourinho’s angry comments. Upon watching Barca’s theatricals against Madrid at the Bernabeu last week, Michael Owen twitted:
“You are watching modern-day football here. Two teams so closely matched. Huge advantage to get an opponent sent off. Pure gamesmanship.”
In a long editorial published on DailyMail.co.uk, popular sports columnist Des Kelly excused the intensity of Jose Mourinho’s heated comments and his failure to guide Real Madrid to victory against Barca at the Bernabeu in Europe. Des Kelly reminded the public that Real Madrid vs Barcelona was not an “Evil trolls vs Angels” battle. The Catalans won the encounter as a group being “among the game’s most accomplished cheats”, Des Kelly wrote.
Well, with Higuain’s crucial and clean opener at the Camp Nou getting ruled out wrongly, no-one (but Barcelona fanatics, perhaps) can deny that “the tie was influenced by the officiating” as Real Madrid director Jorge Valdano declared following Los Blancos’ 3-1 aggregate defeat. Winning the UEFA Champions League was the top priority on Real Madrid and Jose Mourinho’s task list this year; but it has now been confirmed that they are never going to reach this target this season. It’s an impossibility.
Still, this fiasco shouldn’t follow with Jose Mourinho getting the sack at the end of this season, although Real Madrid will certainly have to endure yet another disappointment in La Liga with Barcelona expected to grab the title very soon. If the entire club of Real Madrid believe that the officiating influenced their semi-final tie and killed their European dreams (like Xabi Alonso, Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Cristiano Ronaldo or even Jorge Valdano opine), why would the board agree to allow that officiating to influence Jose Mourinho’s future at the club as well?
For the sake of logic reasoning, Ramon Calderon’s prediction that Mourinho’s time at Real Madrid is almost up doesn't make much sense—just as it should not, anyway, to the Spanish giants. Jose Mourinho's first season at Real Madrid cannot be seen as a failure. His comments and personality, meanwhile, are always likely to create debates; and those who—unlike Real Madrid's players—believe that Mourinho is harmful to the Spanish club can perhaps try overlooking “the enemy of football” just as they seem to overlook freedom of speech.
