The Magic Of Mourinho!

Say what you like about Jose Mourinho, but he certainly knows how to make a statement.

The Portuguese manager did not celebrate either of his side’s goals as Internazionale beat Chelsea 2-1 in their Champions League second round first leg in Milan, as a mark of respect to his former club.

Just when a fresh dose of canny sound bites and sly digs at his opposite number in the pre-match build-up was in danger of veering into self-parody, Mourinho gave a magnanimous display in the Inter dugout as his team put the quarter-finals in their sights.

He is too shrewd to do anything that might dent his popularity with his adoring fans at his former club. When visiting supporters milling around the Siro are chanting a former manager’s name, some two-and-a-half years after he left, you know they must be doing something right.

It is clear that there is an enmity between Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti, but there was little air of self-satisfaction in his reactions during or after the match.

All of which must piss-off Ancelotti much more than any overtly brash celebrations would have done.

The latest man to step into Jose’s shadow at Stamford Bridge saw at first hand how, no matter how well he is doing in his first season at the club, he has a long way to go before he is judged on his own terms by employer, media and fans alike.

There was something saddening about seeing such an intelligent and dignified man return to the scene of so many of his past glories and seem so utterly isolated. This is the kind of effect that no manager other than Mourinho can have on an 85,000-seater stadium.

The real worry for the Chelsea boss now is that the same effect will take hold of the return leg in West London, only magnified. The media clamour seen in Milan will increase tenfold as Mourinho feeds line after line to an over-awed press pack just grateful to have him back, if only for a fleeting visit.

There will no doubt be more quotes about how he plans to return to Chelsea one day, perhaps adding how he regards London as his home. He may reveal how he phoned Petr Cech to check up on his injury scare right after the first leg, describe the Manchester City job as an exciting challenge, or taking a dig at Rafa.

And all this will preface the hero’s welcome he will inevitably receive when he walks out there at SB. It’s just a shame that, such is the nature of the new format that we’ll have to wait a good 3 weeks for it.