Jose Mourinho: Best Manager in the Game

We here at Footy Factor anointed him Manager of the Decade last December. But just when we thought Jose Mourinho‘s star couldn’t rise any further into the stratosphere, it seems the Special One is still hitting new heights.

Inter‘s recent dismantling of the reigning European Champions at the San Siro, confirms Mourinho‘s position at the top of the managerial ladder.

Here’s why:

Bringing the best out of his players. Just ask Frank Lampard and John Terry. Both good players before the arrival of the Portuguezeer at Stamford Bridge, Mourinho turned Lamps and Terry into English football’s most potent, respected and influential one-two. Did we mention he also guided the London club to their first domestic title in 50 years? More recently, his Inter side, with predominantly the same squad that failed continuously in European competition under Roberto Mancini, sit 90 minutes from a Champions League final date.

Bringing the worst out of the opposition. It was hard to recognize the European Champions the other night in Milan. There was none of Barca‘s famous slick passing on display nor their quintessential attacking prowess. Mourinho got his tactics spot on; packing the midfield, cutting the supply line to the forwards and generally rendering the opposition useless. Have you ever seen Xavi, Iniesta and Messi play so poorly?

Entertainer. Love him or hate him, you just can’t tune him out. He provides some of the best sound bites in the business, turning his press conferences into a stand up comedy routine. Just yesterday, in response to assertions that Inter overcame Barcelona only because Barcelona were forced to travel to Milan by bus, the Special One said, “Maybe I have a friend in the volcano and I was responsible for that.”

Tactical Master. There’s no one better at turning a game on its head with a single substitution. Jose is methodical in his preparation for every match, doing in depth research on the opposing players and their systems.

Jose Mourinho - Adored by his players, fans and the media