Reasons to Believe that Jose Mourinho won’t continue at Real Madrid

Since, Real Madrid’s exit to Borussia Dortmund in the semi-finals of this years Champions League, tensions have been boiling in the capital city with many sources like Marca claiming the Los Blancos squad is dividend in support or against their manager. Many players were supposedly feeling pity for Captain Iker Casillas and they didn’t really support Mourinho’s decision to favor Diego Lopez over the returning Casillas. When Mourinho was asked by the press ahead of the La Liga game last week, he said that he regretted the decision not to sign Diego Lopez two years earlier.

And that’s what lead to 31 year old defender Pepe to defend Casillas and bash his bosses comments. “We have to have a bit more respect for Iker. The boss’s quotes were not the most suitable,” the 30-year-old said to Canal Plus, “Iker is an institution – at this club and in Spain. He has to know that we [the players] and the fans are behind him. We’re relaxed. The coach needs to sort it out with the club. We are playing for the shirt.” Mourinho responded on Monday to the comment by saying, “Pepe’s comments? It’s easy to analyze. Pepe has a problem and his name is Rafael Varane. A 31-year-old has lost his place to a 19-year-old. It’s the law of life. But who had the courage to field Varane? I did.”

These types of conflicts with the players have long been speculated throughout this whole season, with Marca claiming around February that Sergio Ramos and Iker Casillas have proposed the President Florentino Perez that they will either leave the club or Mourinho won’t remain at Real, “us or Mourinho”. And the recent comments from Pepe and the fact that many people in Spain despise Mourinho badly will only fuel his return to Chelsea even more. That’s why what Jose said days ago about continuing at Real Madrid should all but ruled out of consideration. When you look at what Mourinho has achieved in his all career before he joined Madrid, he has won all major trophies you can win at club level (excluding the facts that the Club World Cup and Super Cups are as not too inportnat as the leagues and champions league trophies he has won). So, there was too much expectation for him to deliver big trophies for Madrid which he did by winning the La Liga and Copa Dela rey in his first two seasons. But, the only objective not accomplished is the ‘La Decima’ or the 10th champions league trophy for Real Madrid. You may think that’s not a worry, but the champions league is the main reason for Real appointing Jose in 2010. And Mourinho would surely not want his reign at the club being branded as a failure because of that reason. And he said in last Friday’s press conference that People expect too much from him as have won ‘too many’ trophies. His full answer to the question when asked about the expectations was this:

“I think that when my work is valued it’s valued in ways that are never absolute, always taking into consideration what I’ve achieved and so it’s my fault for winning so much that the expectations are always higher than what you receive, which is why I brought this piece of paper. The “Liga of records” is mine. You’re going to try to erase it but you won’t succeed. Another team will have to beat the record and we’ll see when that happens. Twenty years without winning a Copa del Rey, because it’s not easy. And we won a Copa 20 years later, which you also can’t erase. The Super Cup is small, but the three Champions League semi-finals, which personally didn’t boost my ego and left me unsatisfied, shouldn’t be easy and I’ll explain why: Toshack, Di Stefano, Antic, Beenhakker, Benito Floro, Arsenio Iglesias, Capello, Heynckes, Hiddink, Del Bosque, Queiroz, Camacho, Garcia Remon, Luxemburgo, Lopez Caro, Capello again, Juan de Ramos, Schuster and Pellegrini. Eighteen coaches in 21 years and give Champions League semi-finals. The terrible Mourinho got three Champions semi-finals in three years. Three with one coach and five in 21 years is because it isn’t easy making it to the Champions League semifinals. But I repeat, it doesn’t boost my ego, I don’t coach “almost”, because almost is the same as nothing for me, but the “Liga of records” is mine”.

Adding to a big hint that Jose Mourinho might make his return to Chelsea are the quotes from Ivanovic, John Terry and Rafael Benitez all coming from this week. Benitez said in the Press conference ahead of the Tottenham Match, “You know that the next year [there] will be another manager here, so it’s very clear, I think everyone knows who will be here. I think I have to concentrate on my job. It’s not my concern now what will happen next year.” And John Terry said,

“Mourinho has a great relationship with our fans because we won the Premier League and several other titles with him,” Terry told Marca. Real Madrid must be respected, as he is under contract. The fans have clearly shown that he is the man they want after everything he won. He’s still ‘The Special One’. We send each other text messages and often wish each other good luck. He’s interested in our results and everything that happens at the club. He’s not only in contact with me but also with [Frank] Lampard and other players. He’s been winning titles at Real for three years and he has the chance to win the Copa del Rey this season. All I can say is that he’s a top manager who I really enjoyed working under. He always thought about the squad, not just the starting XI. He explained things to you, also when you weren’t playing and demanded everything from you. We worked hard and we could also talk to him about personal problems. He was a friend. We were all sad when he left.” 

And Ivanovic’s comments about Mourinho’s return was, “Everyone at Chelsea cannot wait for the return of Mourinho,” he told Serbian newspaper Vecernje Novosti. “The players have had no confirmation that he is returning to Stamford Bridge, but we all want that to happen because it is one of the best coaches in the world. He is immensely respected by everyone and he has done well at the club in the past. With him we can be stronger as a club; it would be another dimension of Chelsea and is sure to become one of the main competitors for the title.”

This comments from Rafael Benitez and Terry plus Ivanovic means there is a strong probability that Jose Mourinho will make his long awaited return to English Football and most importantly to the place he refers to as a home, Stamford Bridge.  Every one should remember the fact that The Spanish Media have been too much disrespectful by branding him the sole reason for ruining the image of Real Madrid, the other reason for that being Cristiano Ronaldo.  The two Portuguese are the reason Real Madrid have been head-to-head on a par with Barcelona at domestic level, but still Marca editors seem to think that they are too arrogant and put out stories that are completely disrespectful to Mourinho. And it is increasingly unlikely Mourinho will remain at a place where he is not getting the credit he deserves. MARCA had put an online vote right after the Dortmund loss whether Mourinho should stay or if he should be sacked. And an alarming amount of 82% voters think he deserves to leave Real Madrid within 24 hours of the Champions League exit. This are enough reasons and evidences that Jose needs to return to Chelsea where he will be respected and treated with the love and affection that he so rightly deserves.

What are your opinions about Pepe’s comments and do you believe there will be any chance Mourinho will remain at Real Madrid? please leave your comments and thanks for reading. KTBFFH!