Last night's Europa League final was billed by many as Jose Mourinho's triumphant return to the top table of European football. The Portuguese manager has done a good job since landing at Rome, leading them to the Europa Conference League title last season before reaching the decider in Budapest yesterday.
While their league form had been patchy at best, it was said that this late career swan song might be enough to draw interest from some of the continent's big clubs. Real Madrid and PSG could both be on the lookout for new managers this summer, with Mourinho reportedly high on the list of potential candidates.
However, the game against Sevilla may well serve as a timely reminder as to why he should not be let anywhere near a club with genuine ambitions of winning top prizes such as the Champions League.
Jose Mourinho final antics could have major consequences
Lets start with the game itself.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that last night's match was one of the worst spectacles we have witnessed in a major European final in quite some time. Neither side played with any sort of attacking intent, creating very few chances and seemingly being happy to see the game peter out towards penalties.
Of course, you also had the antics of Rome throughout the 120+ minutes. Buoyed by the presence of an irate Mourinho on the sideline, their conduct towards the officials was nothing short of appalling .
That did not stop at the final whistle.
Well after the end of the game, Jose Mourinho attempted to confront English referee Anthony Taylor, labelling him as a 'f*****g disgrace'.
𝗠𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗵𝗼: “𝗦𝗲𝗶 𝘂𝗻𝗮 𝗳*****𝗮 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘇𝗶𝗮‼️”
L’allenatore della Roma urla tutta la sua rabbia in faccia all’arbitro Taylor🤬 Mentre Rosetti, designatore UEFA, cerca di calmarlo
📹 @GianluVisco #ASRoma #Mourinho #EuropaLeagueFinal #Sportitalia pic.twitter.com/3TxOZAEol0— Sportitalia (@tvdellosport) May 31, 2023
Not a good look.
He even hinted that the officials were cheating during his customary post-match press conference.
Mourinho on the penalty shootout: “[referee Anthony] Taylor and the VAR were afraid something might happen at the end there so they decided to let them win it quickly” pic.twitter.com/vPDTNCUuZK
— Patrick Kendrick (@patrickendrick) June 1, 2023
Classic Mourinho, only without the infallible results on the pitch to back it up.
Last night was the first European final that Jose Mourinho had lost in his managerial career. The tactics that proved so successful over a decade to go are no longer suited to the modern game, as evidenced by the quality on show in Budapest. That alone should be enough to force potential new employers to look elsewhere for their next managerial appointment.
It was his personality that made him such a big draw for clubs in the past, with his ability to command a dressing almost unmatched. However, that very thing has also held him back in recent times.
You certainly couldn't imagine it working well at PSG, where player power trumps all else. Imagine him having a go at Kylian Mbappe over his defensive positioning? He wouldn't be long for the first flight out of Paris.
As for Real Madrid, they have thrived in recent times when having a more passive figure in charge of the squad. Zinedine Zidane and Carlo Ancelotti are big personalities in their own right, but their approach to managing the egos within a group are quite different to that of Mourinho.
At this point, he seems best suited to leading a club who are otherwise rudderless, one that needs a strong figurehead to galvanise those around him. Roma was an ideal fit in this regard.
Unfortunately for Jose Mourinho, very few elite clubs fall into that category.
His days at the top table of European football should probably be behind him. In saying all of that, PSG are so badly run that they might just give him the opportunity to go in and take a wrecking ball to the Parc des Princes.
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