Evil Jose Mourinho is back – and we should all be afraid

Jose Mourinho’s influence goes far beyond concession to possession, as he called Claude Makelele his name and looked brusque in a double-breasted coat. No manager has done more to promote one of the most overused phrases in football – until now in Moment.

There was a time when only Spanish or Portuguese coaches used the build, the team “in a good moment”, the player “in a difficult moment” and so on. Moment, usually understood as a generalized period, is rendered in English as a “moment”, which sounded fleeting and inappropriate. Now it almost sounds normal, even from native English speakers. Frank Lampard said afterwards: “We’re not in a great moment” Chelseadefeat to Arsenal Matching words last week to Graham Potter after losing to Newcastle in November. Tune in next season to hear Mauricio Pochettino repeat.

Nobody has it He was in more moments than Mourinho. He took over the current Roma coach Manchester United Function “at a stable moment”. On watching Andy Murray at Queen’s in 2019, Mourinho said Murray was “at a special moment in his career”. Tottenham were “in a difficult moment” 10 weeks before Mourinho was sacked. Who knows what kind of moment they find themselves in now, or how they would describe Mourinho’s current moment?

It included the liquidation of referees, a journalist and a club that may be chasing him. Is he in a hurtful moment? In a combative moment? Is this any different from any other moment he’s had in 20 years? No, it’s in Mourinho’s moment.

We’re just over 18 months after hitting an all-time low, conceding six goals in the Conference League’s Europa League. NorwayBodo/Glimt, below a more prominent football team in the middle of the URL. ECL is clearly guilty of the same mistake that was made against Scotland Brazil In 1982, he infuriated Mourinho. He went on to win the competition last year Thus qualifying for the European League.

now Bayer Leverkusen Standing in the way of another European final, with Mourinho’s side leading 1-0 from the first leg of the Europa League semi-finals, and PSG is said to be considering an approach. “If they called, they couldn’t find me,” said Mourinho, laughing now at him, the way you might laugh at Jagerbombs at a creepy start all day before you dial 16 at 3pm.

He was alleged to have worn a microphone on the touchline during Roma’s match against Monza because he had previously been burned by referee Daniel Chevy “I’m not stupid, you know,” said Mourinho. “Today, I went into the game with a microphone on. I recorded everything. From the moment I left the locker room to the moment I got back. I protected myself.” Sadly no dramatic tearing of the jersey to reveal a wire by the fourth official who smelled a rat, or fortunately, any long boat trips with Tony Soprano and company.

Then before the rematch against eventual losers in European football Championship Feyenoord, Mourinho told the Dutch journalist not to cry before handing him a Conference League keyring (£14.99 + £3.95 shipping. Run, don’t walk to UEFA’s online store). Roma won 5-2 on aggregate.

Overall, there is a sense of a director who has rediscovered the joy of mild evil. Key rings and secret recordings are much nicer than poking Tito Vilanova in the eye or eviscerating Luke Shaw Until he becomes a mere husk of a full-back and Mourinho now looks like a cynical silver fox again, rather than his latest English incarnation as the tame shrew. He’s back to being provocative, not sullen.

Perhaps his absence helps. By the end of Tottenham’s tenure He was a faded version of his former self, a man whose name belonged to inverted commas. Now trick him in Italy Arrive like scribble postcards and feel like a fun throwback, not the paranoid rant of that sad guy who lives in the hotel.

after spurs In assuming office in Rome, he seemed to move in less privileged circles. Portugal His next move was thought to be as recently as December, but Benfica or Al-Hilal were equally plausible. Now PSG’s reliable link indicates its stock is rising again.

He turned 60 in January, an age at which Sir Alex Ferguson won another six Premier League titles, the FA Cup and the Champions League. PSG might match another phrase European coaches love: ‘Beautiful project’. Mourinho, who was written off and sent to history, may have just returned.

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