REINVENTING MOURINHO: WHAT JOSE MUST WORK ON BEFORE HIS NEXT JOB.

It is almost a week into the new year and Jose Mourinho is still jobless. Jose Mourinho as proud as ever made an assertion after he was relieved off his duties before Christmas last year, that he was angling towards a return to the managerial hot seat more preferably that of Louis Van Gaal at Old Trafford. This was the plan but the seeming reluctance from the camp of United and the reported refusal to take the Real Madrid job midway through the season has left The self proclaimed Special One in a bit of limbo and jobless for the foreseeable future.

The apparent lack of big jobs is a sign from above to Jose to sit back and reinvent himself as a coach and a person overall. The old adage goes, 'you cannot teach an old dog new tricks' but Mourinho is not so much of an old dog at the age of 52. During his enforced break, it would be beneficial for him to work on a few aspects of himself.

1. ATTITUDE
The former Porto, Chelsea, Inter and Madrid manager has had some issues in relation to his attitude. This has set him back with some of the biggest clubs in the world as seen with his eye gouging poke of former Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova during his stint in Spain. Also, his constant attacks albeit verbally on rivals does him a lot of harm than good. This not only makes him look bad but also does his clubs no good in the media. His mentality is more often than not transferred to his players which makes his teams appear violent with reference being made to Pepe at Madrid and Diego Costa at Chelsea. His media antics though entertaining, sometimes crosses the line. He is often seen to be criticizing the footballing associations where he has coached. It is for such reason he has often been overlooked for jobs such as that of Bayern Munich and most recently, Manchester United.
He is an entertaining character no doubt but should refine his attitude to make him endearing to fans, players and bosses alike. Maintaining a healthy rivalry with managers as well as letting his players know when they cross the line on the pitch. A bad attitude is like a flat tire. Failure to change it will get you nowhere. But just as flat tires can be changed, an attitude can be changed for the better.

2. TACTICS
A football manager is as good as his tactics. Also, an adaptable coach is one who can switch tactics to suit the opposition at hand. This is something Mourinho seems to be lacking. A fixation on 4-2-3-1 formation has led to his downfall. When he lacks the kind of players suited to this style, his teams are outplayed and out thought on the pitch. Before his return to the dugout, Mourinho must not only reinvent himself from an attitudinal perspective but also, a tactical point of view. Also his defensive mentality should be switched to a more balanced style to his teams to satisfy the attacking and defensive needs of his teams. All in all a general adaptability should be infused into his tactical approach just as Guardiola to make his teams multidimensional


A few other things to work on is his long term abilities as a manager. He should formulate long term goals for himself as a coach for his teams. He should use maintain an eye on the youth teams and be a fatherly figure rather than an authority figure with the younger ones.
Also learning to hold his tongue should prove to be a good weapon for him.


The Special One may be down but it would be a mistake to count him out. During his time out work on rebranding himself should be paramount to ensure success in the short term as well as long term.
Watch Out World! A New and Improved Jose is coming.

PEREZ Y BENITEZ : Los cánceres REALES

Watching Real Madrid over this season produce often defensive and insipid displays got me wondering, was the decision made on May 25, 2015 to relieve Carlo Ancelotti of his job the right one? The man who brought La Decima as well as an unmatched brand of attacking football which saw Real come close to breaking the longest winning streak in professional football. The man who made Madrid a joy to watch and football in whichever stadium Madrid played worth the money. The follow up on the decision to appoint a Defensive minded coach in the form of Rafa Benitez shocked not only myself and Madridistas but football aficionados worldwide

Its only been a matter of months and the ever demanding Madridista following is displeased at the style of the team in recent games. Such is the nature of the Bernabeu hotseat. A seat on which Rafa Benitez has been on for close to six months and is beginning to feel the heat. Often criticized for his defensive approach, he has not done himself any favors with the brand of football he is churning out with the amount of quality he has at his disposal. The insipid displays exhibited in games this season has made watching Real a real bore. The Clasico Debacle at the Bernabeu was the height of what Benitez has brought to Madridistas. The defeats suffered at the hands of Villareal and Sevilla as well as the draws at Atletico and Valencia do not do him any favors. His decisions to keep players like Isco and James out of a side that lacks creativity as well as criticisms of senior players and the refusal to acknowledge his best player does him no favors with the playing body. The Bernabeu faithful have had it with him and want his head which they will get after about 1900 GMT.

The man to present them with the head of Benitez, Florentino Perez has the Bernabeu on his back to resign since his dismissal of Ancelotti and appoint Benitez took him a step back. The circumstances leading to the disgraceful exit of club captain and icon Iker Casillas did not cover him in glory. The botched attempt to sign David De Gea and the expulsion of the club due to the failure of the club to deal with administrative issues. Perez unlike Benitez has a bit more time on his hands as the general elections are in sight and can right his wrongs with the club and its fans. Replacing Benitez with a more tactically balanced manager should pose no problems as the playing body appears united against the 'common foe' and may yet experience a renaissance.

The die is cast for both men as they have little or no time at the club but these cancers that Los Blancos face are proving to be dangerous and must be eliminated immediately and the decision that the Surgeon Perez (today) and the eventual cancer (during the elections) will be the best for Madrid as 2016 progresses