i love you, i really do.
I was surprised listening to podcasts prior to the game this week (Guardian‘s Football Weekly in particular) that Inter was being written off so casually. We saw enough in the first game to suggest that for every one of Chelsea’s actions, Inter could provide a suitable and equal reaction. (Cambiasso’s goal a perfect example.)
Watching tonight’s game was painful at times. For every dive, episode of time wasting, act of amateur dramatics (cheating?) on Inter’s part had me wishing Mourinho would be standing close enough to the to touch line to take a deflected volley directly in the nuts from a Chelsea player (preferably from one of his adopted kids–Lampard, Terry, Drogba!). For all the hyperbole and drooling by the (mostly English) media over “the special one”, memories of the Celtic-Porto 2003 UEFA cup final came flooding back. A final scarred by Mourinho’s tactics. Martin O’Neil was quoted on the night as saying:
“I will probably get into trouble for this, but it was poor sportsmanship,” O’Neill said. “The rolling over, the time wasting.
Quiet, i'm working.
“But they have beaten us, well done to them and it’s up to us to learn from this.
But Porto won, and Celtic lost. Inter won, Chelsea lost. Those at the sharp end live and die on results. Mourinho lives. Again. Not only did Inter have complete control over the game tonight, but they played it so that the Chelsea players were scared of their own shadows. They would not put a foot in for fear of the referee’s whistle. That’s Mourinho. They were so tactically confused they barely one clean shot on goal. That’s Mourinho. Each Inter player has bought in to the Mourinho cause so much they do everything the man asks of them (sound familiar Frank, John?). Eto was playing left wing when he scored. I’ll say that again, Eto was playing left wing. For every Chelsea action, Inter had a superior reaction. And this was in London!
There is something fascinating that a man, “the interpreter”, who spent so much time working under Bobby Robson is so polar opposite. Mourinho will do anything to win a game. Not so Sir Bobby. And that’s not being sentimental. Sir Bobby Robson had a winning mentality. He’d chop his own arm of to win a game. But as his reaction to Maradonna’s first goal in the 1986 quarter finals showed, he “won’t do that.” I don’t think i can say the same for Mourinho.
My work here is done.
There’s something in this result that sits uneasy to fans of The Beautiful Game. There’s something in this result that shows you just how good Mourinho is.
I think Andy Gray on Sky Sports said it best. “If you are going to be high maintenance, you better be good. And my word, is he good.”
