José Mourinho won the European Conference League last season. Credit: Getty Images/Chris Brunskill
Twenty years after the UEFA Cup final in Seville, in which winning Porto side rewrote the book on tactical time-wasting, from extensive treatment for injuries that mysteriously cleared up to goal celebrations that, seemed to last forever.
Opponent manager Martin O'Neal later said of the time it took to treat Vítor Bailly that he was surprised that a helicopter had not been called to take the goalkeeper to the hospital. Defender Jorge Costa was believed to have hit the Celtic goalkeeping coach. Celtic fans chanted that Porto were a scam when they went to claim the trophy.
«You know how people get to a certain age and say, 'Look, I wouldn't change a thing.' Well, there are a lot of things that I would change,» O'Neill said recently. Firstly, the 2003 UEFA Cup Final.”
José Mourinho, on the other hand, was very pleased with how everything went. The career of the young Porto coach was on an incredible upward trajectory. All Jose systems.
Two decades later, he is back in the same place. The UEFA Cup final became the Europa League final. The Porto of 2003 that shocks Europe 12 months later by winning the Champions League is the Roma of 2023. They sold one of their best players to Galatasaray this season, but only because Nicolò Zaniolo didn't like Bournemouth.
Mourinho won the European Conference League last season, and at 60 years old he is winning again brilliantly. Win trophies and upset people.
Jose Mourinho's Roma will face Sevilla in the Europa League final. Photo: AP/Martin Meissner
He has power at Roma. At the Trigoria training ground, he is the loudest name in the building, and his word is law. If he says that the player's career at Roma is over, the club agrees. In the case of Dutch full-back Rick Karsdorp, there was a delay, but only on Mourinho's terms.
Tactically, he still goes for uber-Jose when needed. The goalless draw in Thursday night's Europa League semi-final, defending a one-goal lead in the first leg, was sensational in its negatives. Roma didn't have a single shot on target and only one missed the target, against 23 for Bayer Leverkusen. Less than 29 percent ball possession. xG 0.03. It is, as Mourinho would say, «the legacy of football».
The question now, with his hair turning snow white and his stubbornness remaining, is this: what's next? His dance with the opportunity to work as a manager at Paris Saint-Germain will be an exciting end to the season. Of course, Mourinho must feel drawn to a club that is capable of punching others in the face for players, prestige and trophies. But for all Roma's inability to do this, they have a strange compatibility with Mourinho.
Roma reminded us something else: Mourinho can make something with any raw material that is offered to him. As long as all participants are ready to submit themselves to pure Joseism. It may not always be fun, but it works.
Mourinho made up for the league's failures by winning the Europa League
The American owners of Roma spent about 1 billion euros in the first three years to acquire the club, investments and salaries for Mourinho and his technical team. With that done, they switched to a strategy of cheap — or free — signings and player development. Indeed, it was the goal of 21-year-old Edoardo Bove, who was born in Rome and grew up at the club, that decided the outcome of the semi-final. He started both legs and others like Ebrima Darbo, 21; Christian Volpato, 19; and Benjamin Tahirović, 20, played this season.
After the win, Mourinho said no club had reached the European Cup final by spending less on transfers than Roma. He named 7 million euros, although the figure is close to 9 million euros, of which 7 million euros for the very decent Mehmet Celik from Lille. Kudos to sporting director Thiago Pint, who has a lot of interest from a number of Premier League clubs.
It's far from perfect. Roma are sixth in the league and have lost both games to local rivals Lazio, who are in fourth place and six points behind at the start of the weekend. Roma lost twice to Cremonese. They don't score many goals and Tammy Abraham doesn't score. But, as with Manchester United in 2015-16, Mourinho made up for his league setbacks by winning the Europa League and taking the Champions League spot it offers.
At a club like United, with decades of success, Mourinho has been a bitter pill to swallow. In the Spurs, who had believed for decades that they could succeed, it was no less difficult. But Roma has logic in this.
It's a very local, big club. The Rome media are closely following the team, especially the local guys, and then the Italian contingent in general. People close to the club say Mourinho is unflappable. Also, doing everything to himself, or referees, or authorities, or other clubs, he looks away from his players. He was always good at it.
In the second leg of the Europa League quarter-final against Feyenoord, Mourinho's last hyperactive assistant, Salvatore Foti, was sent off for grabbing opponent Santiago Jimenez. It was very bad behavior and an easy decision for Anthony Taylor. Would Mourinho approve of such misbehavior as a way to intimidate officials and rivals? Oh my god.
Jose Mourinho's assistant, Salvatore Foti, has been sent off for the incident with Santiago Jimenez. Credit: UK Sports Pics Ltd/Giuseppe Maffia
For the most part, José's doctrine dictates that every inch that can be taken must be taken. Every corner worked. Each advantage of one goal is fixed.
Other clubs thought they needed Jose completely but recoiled when they realized what that really meant. Roma are sticking to the course, and so far, at least, it seems to suit both sides.
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