What would it be like if José Mourinho was head coach of Barcelona?
Ever since he guided Porto to a miraculous Champions League title in the 2004/5 season, José Mourinho has been considered as one of the best coaches in Europe. And in the following seasons, the Portuguese coach cemented his spot as a modern coaching phenomenon.
After his appointment as Chelsea manager, the charismatic manager took on established coaching legends Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsène Wenger and led the Blues to victory, and maintained an unbeaten record against Wenger which was only broken by Arsenal last season.
At Inter and Real Madrid, Mourinho made his transition from a successful manager to a coaching legend, winning the La Liga by overcoming the invincible Barça led by Pep Guardiola and winning his second Champions League in Italy.
It would be fair to say that José Mourinho is one of the greatest managers of all-time, and can be held parallel to the likes of Carlo Ancelotti and Jupp Heynckes. But what would it be like if he took charge of Barcelona?
Mourinho spent 4 seasons at the Camp Nou early on his coaching career. In his first season, he worked as a first-team coach, under Bobby Robson and was promoted to the position of assistant in his second season, working with Dutch great Louis van Gaal.
Van Gaal was an early influence for Mourinho, and his coaching style was based on that of the Dutchman. He had his taste of managing a side in a match under Van Gaal, who recognised his potential and allowed him to manage some of the less important games.
If the club were to sack Ernesto Valverde and bring back José Mourinho from Manchester United by paying compensation to the Red Devils, Mourinho could bring about a revolution at the Camp Nou.
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Mourinho loves to win, and he is not a manager who is appointed to secure the long-term future of the club. The current squad of Barcelona is one capable of winning the treble, which Mourinho has only done once before, with Inter.
Mourinho would love to manage this side. It has everything that a typical Mourinho team requires: pace, skill, technique and quality defenders. If the ‘Special One’ came to Barcelona, he could win two trebles in a row, such is the complementary nature of the current crop of players.
Taking into consideration the fact that José Mourinho is not doing that well at Old Trafford, he could be fired by Ed Woodward. And (God forbid!) if Ernesto Valverde fails to deliver the treble this season, the Basque coach could be shown the door.
In that case, it would be a brilliant decision to hire the ‘Special One’. It would be like destiny, with José Mourinho completing a cycle that he started off years ago when he decided to join the coaching staff of the greatest club in modern football.
Mourinho and tiki-taka may not be made for each other, but Mourinho is certainly made for Barcelona.