A "Special" Post

As I sit here this afternoon watching 10 man Real Madrid gash Espanyol on the counter attack, I think to myself: what makes the Special One so special?  His team have been down a man for the better part of 45 minutes and they have a 1-0 going into the locker room.  Not only has his team managed to score with fewer players, they actually look better in attack with 10 men.

This is not uncommon for Mourinho's teams.  Just last year, Inter Milan withstood a 70 minute onslaught from Barcelona at the Nou Camp down a player following Thiago Motta's early exit.  Few will remember that Barcelona actually won the match; Inter were able to progress 3-2 on aggregate and eventually claim the Champions league trophy in Madrid.

Earlier this season the Portuguese orchestrated another equally scrappy but less memorable victory against Andalucian side Sevilla.  When Mou's compatriot Ricardo Carvalho saw red in the 63rd minute at the Santiago Bernabeu, the two teams were level at nil-nil.  A late winner from Angel Di Maria was able to steal all three points for the Merengues and give the Special One another improbable victory.

How does he do it?

To understand how Jose Mourinho is able to direct his teams to victory when they are playing with 10, we must first understand the man.

Jose Mourinho is many things.  First and foremost, he is special.  He is not stupid.  And he is definitely not Harry Potter.  Mourinho is a very intelligent man.  If you have ever heard him speak (Portuguese, Spanish, English or Italian) you can tell.  And for all of his natural smarts, for an individual who never played any further than semi-pro, he has an unrivaled mastery of tactics.

"I am not stupid"

Before Mou became a household name winning titles at Chelsea, he took Porto all the way to Champions League glory in 2004.  That was the first time a Portuguese team won the Champions League since Porto won in 1987 and the first time a Lusitano squad had been in the final since Benfica lost to Milan in 1990.  What makes Mourinho's victory so "special" is that in modern football, very seldom do clubs outside England, Spain and Italy compete for European hardware.  Because of the spending power these clubs have, you can count on two hands the clubs that have a chance at winning the tournament each year (Barcelona, Real Madrid, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Bayern Munich, Man U, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool).

The man has an uncanny way of getting the most out of every player.  He believes 100% in a positive team dynamic and preaches professionalism at all costs.  Mourinho requires all of his players (gasp!) to show up to practice on time and attend pre-match meals where all players eat together.  These are the small things that get the players to exert themselves on the pitch and implement the tactics that Mou has become famous for implementing.

And while a coach can be amazing at creating a kumbaya mentality, futbol business is a results business. Coaches quickly loose credibility with their players if they cannot produce winning teams.  Wherever he has gone, Mourinho has earned the respect and plaudits of his players.  Fickle, self-absorbed players too like Deco, Drogba, Eto'o and now Ronaldo.  Players want to play for Mourinho because they know he produces titles.

Another reason players enjoy playing for the Special One is his gift of gab.  Mourinho toys with the media like Jabba the Hut toys with his victims.  It's not enough to watch them suffer, he suckers them into believing they are asking a safe question and then releases a trap door, letting them plummet to their death at the hands of the Rancor.  These games Mourinho plays serve one purpose: to take pressure off of his players.  If the press are focused on what ridiculous quote came from the coach's mouth, they surely will be too preoccupied to ask a stammering John Terry or monosyllabic Wesley Sneijder about their dip in form.

Special moments from a Special man.

The match is over.  Real Madrid hold on to the narrowest of margins and win 1-0.


The games are not limited to the media; Mourinho loves to discount his opponents.  He is very quick in citing reffereeing decisions rewarded to his foes while always commending his own team's effort and hard work after a victory.  If he is on your side, you love him.  If you have to play against him, you love to hate him.  Remember Inter's victory at the Camp Nou?  The Catalans were so enthusiastic about their former assistant celebrating on their pitch, they "accidentally" forgot to turn off the sprinklers.

Please ignore the pleasant message at the outset of this video.

So what is there to say about the Special One that has not already been said by him, about himself, already?  The man knows how to win and may very well be the best coach in the world.  I hope he has bitten off more than he can chew at Real Madrid, because anything less than doubles and triples will get him axed.  He will be only the second Portuguese coach EVER to complete a La Liga season, a feat in itself.  Yet, a Special man expects special performances and getting through a season unscathed is hardly enough for Mou.