The Chickens Have Come Home to Roost for Mourinho

Let me start by stating the glaringly obvious, Jose Mourinho is a brilliant football manager and has been so for a very long time. His track record of excellence at various top clubs in various top leagues in Europe cannot be understated. This article does not serve to call into question his brilliance but to point out some of his "less desirable" qualities that I think have been a big contributory factor in Chelsea's rather spectacular fall from grace this season.

We all know the situation; Chelsea, English league champions but 6 months ago are struggling mightily this season by their own lofty standards after suffering a number of unexpected defeats. To put the struggle of both team and manager into context: Chelsea have already lost more league matches this season than they had the last 2 combined and we are only 11 games in. Add to that Chelsea have lost 3 home league matches already this season, which is truly remarkable when you consider that Mourinho-led teams have lost a total of 3 home games in the last 13 seasons! The plight of the blues has left everyone scratching their heads as to the root cause.

For me the man responsible is certainly Jose, he is at the heart of this and what irks most though is you'd be hard pressed to find a shred of evidence to suggest the man himself thinks he is at fault for any of this. He typically and cynically has blamed his players, opposing managers tactics and last but not least match officials / the FA for his teams defeats. At no point has the Special One come out and said he or his team weren't good enough without some sort of excuse about the referee. But there in lies the problem...

If you have followed football closely and you know anything about Jose Mourinho you will know this: The man is a winner and he is box office. His whole persona is geared around being a winning coach and his track record proves it. He often carries an "us against the world" mentality where he sees anyone who isn't on his side as against him. Above all, he is not a man too shy to blow his own trumpet and its his bravado as well as his provocative nature that makes him box office material. Seldom does Jose Mourinho leave his powder dry when it comes to press conferences and that is why the hoards from Fleet street love him. He practically writes headlines for them at times. Although his style can rankle, his less appealing qualities are tolerable particularly as his teams are always so successful.
(It also should be noted that those same qualities both on and off the pitch that have made him a media darling in the UK made him very unpopular with the Italian media, who he himself has sited as one of the reasons he left Inter Milan after leading them to an unprecedented treble. In Spain he also left Real Madrid under a cloud after falling out with high profile players and officials alike.)

As I have already stated, you cannot argue with the man's track record of success. He's gone from club to club and had an almost immediate impact through his brand of efficient, effective football combined with his charm and man management skills. He consistently  is able to get the best out of players. It also has to be said that crucially has never really been one to build a club around him in the way a Wenger or Ferguson have. He's never built multiple teams with a single club while promoting youth prospects. Mourinho has always been about the here and now when it comes to his management style. Maybe the fact that his time with any team or league is often transient allows him the freedom in his own mind to say whatever thing (good or bad) that comes into his head. This might help to explain why he often speaks in such callous terms regarding rival managers. The list of petty and churlish remarks directed through the media to the likes of Wenger, Benitez, Pellegrini, Guardiola and Ranieri are well documented.

The special one has also had his fair share of run-ins with opposing coaching staff, his own coaching staff and his own players through out the years. His time at Real Madrid was littered with high profile squabbles. In the interest of being balanced I will say that Real Madrid is easily the most politically complex of clubs with a number of huge egos from the dressing room to the board room that need to be assuaged.   Alongside this there is also the small matter of delivering results in style for the demanding fans at the Santiago Bernabeu, which makes this a tough task for any manager. But with all that said I cannot think of any previous Real Madrid coach who's had as many public spats with players as Jose. The combustible nature of his personality and his burning desire to win must be linked within the man himself, why else is there such glory and chaos wherever he decides to bring his coaching talents to?

No matter what drama he brings, Mourinho has always brought success alongside it, that is until now. But rather than dampen down the chaos and outward rage in order to focus on his team's shortcomings he has increased the level of scrutiny on himself and his club with yet more incendiary comments and accusations than ever before. It started with his dealing with club doctor Eva Caneiro who he has been accused of constructively dismissing from the club and is being sued. Then there was almost yearly "campaign"  mantra brought about after his team lost to Southampton at home where he suggested that match officials are "scared" to give decisions to Chelsea both in the premier league and in Europe. He has routinely blamed match officials for poor results, including his most recent defeat at home to Liverpool, all the while having been critical of some of his key players publicly. But crucially he has never come out and said something to the effect of "we just didnt do enough to win today, our opposition was better and we must improve". Those kinds of comments would have left us focussing on what was wrong with his team, but Mourinho made it all about himself while taking none of the blame.

The simple fact is for someone always so keen to extol his own virtues and successes, the special one has been reluctant to accept any let alone the bulk of the responsibility. In my opinion he needs to. Once he does so, maybe the burden of expectation and pressure will be lifted from the shoulders of his players, who by and large have been trying really hard for him. What is also noticeable is the way the spirit of the team, something that has been a Mourinho hallmark is sorely missing. It is often said that Mourinho's antics are a smoke screen, used to take the pressure off his players / team by grabbing the spotlight, but those moments were usually in periods of success. Now he is enduring the worst spell of his career he needs to turn the tables by taking full responsibility of the performances of his players and accepting the mistakes the match officials make. The question is, will he learn his lessons in time or will he keep blaming everyone else except the man in charge? For Chelsea to get back on track the sideshows have to stop.

Federer and Power of Purpose

I've long held the belief that we've all been put on this earth for a reason. That we are supposed to serve a purpose, no matter how big or how small. The only problem is figuring out exactly what that purpose is and then pursuing it with conviction and making some level of success of it.

Some people will go through their entire lives without knowing what that purpose is. Often those without it find themselves doing more harm than good in my experience. That's why whenever we come across someone who's purpose seems abundantly clear for all to see it's something wondrous and almost magical to behold. 

The reason why it's so special is because we all seek to know our own raison d'être. When we encounter those who have theirs and truly demonstrate it to us, it fills us with hope and inspiration. I feel that way about a number of different people in many walks of life.

I feel that way about Barack Obama, who I feel was born with the unique combination of qualities that enabled him to do the seemingly impossible and become America's first non-white president. 

In sports when you see someone who seems destined to do what they do, it captures the imagination like very few things. Ayrton Senna is an example of someone whom I truly believe was born to be a champion motor racer (as he undoubtedly did too). I feel that way about Usain Bolt. His height and physique are very much atypical of 100m and 200m sprinters but it's these qualities that give him an almost unassailable advantage over his rivals.

But I must say, I especially feel that way about Roger Federer. When I watch him play tennis at his best, it's like very few things I've ever experienced in sports. I've followed his career since 2002 or so but I really started to root for him and his graceful, effortless style during Wimbledon 2003 when he captured his first title at the All England Club. Since then his career has skyrocketed into something very few would have predicted (especially not Pat Cash!)

Ultimately its been relatively easy to jump aboard the 'Federer Express' since there were periods where he utterly dominated the sport. He still holds more grand slam singles titles than any other male in tennis history. But Since 2010 he's collected only 2 grand slam titles. To put that into context Nadal has won no fewer than 8 in that span, Djokovic has claimed 7, while Andy Murray and Stan Warinka also have 2 each since 2012.

Although Federer is in decline, at least relative to his exploits from 2003 to 2009 where he collected a mind boggling 15 slams in 7 years, his decline is like nothing we've ever seen in tennis. He's no longer top dog but he's still officially second best player in the world and still winning titles (albeit relatively minor ones) and he still contesting Wimbledon finals. 

It's remarkable to think that as his old nemesis Nadal is starting to creak and topple down the ATP world rankings at 29, while Fed still seems as graceful as ever (if somewhat less effective than he was in his halcyon days). And to think he stands on the brink of possibly his greatest achievement yet. Tomorrow he faces Novak Djokovic in a rematch of last year's final as well as a chance to avenge that defeat and a shot at slam no. 18. This is his 10th (TENTH!!!) Wimbledon final in 17 years and should he win this will be his 8th title. 

The fact that going into this final you could argue that the 33 year old Federer seems to be in better form than the world's undisputed best player is beyond belief. As Murray put it after being being comprehensively dismantled in straight sets in the semis "I don't think anyone at that age has played better". The key as it was all along is Federer's effortless style which "doesn't put too much strain on the body" according to Murray. His style of play and the physical attributes he has been blessed with make him unique. His elegance has often been his downfall especially when pitted against the gritty, physical and brutal brilliance of Nadal in his pomp but it's also the reason he's still able to compete so consistently at this level after all these years. 

It could be argued that the greatest opponent both Federer and Nadal have ever faced is time itself. It's a brutal and ravaging opponent as both will attest. It's an opponent that is even more ruthless than Nadal's wicked topspin forehand on Phillip Chatrier, and it remains an undefeated foe. In truth, time has dealt with Rafa better than Roger ever could. Conversely Federer has faired better against times relentless attack on his athletic abilities and that is testament to his natural talent and work ethic. 

I for one hope Federer is able to triumph tomorrow as he's easily been the best and most talented tennis player I've ever seen. Watching him roll back the years against a younger, stronger opponent in the semis of the most prestigious tennis tournament in the world, I can't help but feel like Federer was put on this earth for this. One thing is certain I can't imagine him doing him anything else, can you?

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Ghana v. Cote D'Ivoire Match Preview

Today marks the day of destiny for both the black stars and the elephants as they both look to bring to an end their respective hoodoos. Both are without a senior men's tournament triumph in decades; In many ways the stakes could not be higher. 

Ghana's last ACN tournament victory was all the way back in 1982 (the year of my birth!). Since then our national team has flattered to deceive on a number of occasions. In the 33 years following our last trophy, Ghana has only been to the final twice; today's showpiece will be our third. 

Incidentally the first of those final appearances came against the Ivory Coast back in Senegal 1992. It was a tightly contested affair ending in a dramatic penalty shootout in favour of our neighbours. The victory marked their first, and to this date, their only African Cup triumph.

Both sides have gone on to reach at least one more appearance in the final before today. Ghana did so in 2010 only to lose narrowly to Egypt, the undisputed kings of African football at the time. Cote D'Ivoire have made it to the brink of glory only to be caught out on penalty shootouts each time. Egypt bested them in 2006, the first of three consecutive titles for the pharaohs. In 2012 they suffered the same fate to Zambia, and by doing so landed the "chipolopolo" their first championship.

In recent years bad luck and bad form have played equal part in both of this year's finalists' underachievements. The elephants have boasted a golden generation of footballers with teams that were packed with household names such as Didier Drogba, Kolo & Yaya Toure to name a few but somehow could not get over the line. Ghana similarly had the talent to do better with the likes of Michael Essien, Stephen Appiah and Sulley Muntari all being the cornerstone of black stars past that haven't been able to get the proverbial ACN monkey off our backs. 

Today represents a shot at redemption and long overdue glory for both camps. The pressure to succeed will rest on the shoulders of both teams but I'd argue that on paper the Ivory Coast have the better players and therefore should go into the match as favorites. However Ghana's collective spirit and team first attitude could mean that our sum is worth more than our individual parts.

The victor today will be able to consign years of frustration to the history books. For the defeated finalist, the search for that elusive crown will go on. May the best team win (hopefully that means Ghana!)