There are different types of managers in the game. There are some who do it for the club and others who do it for personal glory.
The Arsene Wenger’s and Jose Mourinho’s of the world, both occupying opposite ends of the managerial spectrum.
Responding to Wenger’s comments about how the title was Chelsea’s to lose [by virtue of the fact that they are top of the table] and how other sides are afraid of failure [not an insult, although that’s how it’s been taken], Jose Mourinho reacted to what were non-personal comments with a personal attack.
He called Wenger a ‘specialist in failure’.
Let’s take a look at that shall we?
Wenger has more Premier League titles than Mourinho and four times as many FA Cups. We’re just talking English trophies here, so don’t annoy me with other clubs and what he won there. Wenger could have moved to Real Madrid, they wanted him long before they wanted Mourinho, and won just as much there. He didn’t. He stayed to build something bigger than his ego.
Wenger might not have won anything for the past eight years, but in that time he has built a stadium and revolutionised a club, securing it’s long-term future. Mourinho, on the other hand, has moved from club to club every couple of years, clubs where he was always guaranteed to have a large pile of cash to spend, building on teams assembled by others and soaking up the glory. Winning trophies that way is easy.
None of his trophies are gold in the way that Wenger’s is for winning the Premier League without losing a game. Not a single one.
For Mourinho it is all about instant gratification no matter what that costs – be it half a billion pounds, your dignity or your sanity having to watch his Chelsea side bore teams in to submission.
Wenger came to England and changed the entire game, from fitness to scouting, playing methods and eating habits. Wenger represents an ethos, a total way of being which is sustainable long after he has gone. Mourinho represents himself. End of story.
I will quite happily take a lifetime of no trophies under Wenger than have to endure five minutes of Mourinho, even if you told me it would guarantee a treble. There is a class and a dignity to Arsene that no club and their unlimited finances will ever be able to buy for Mourinho.
Luckily, thanks to the sacrifices that Wenger has made over the last eight years, when he could have went and sought personal glory at any of the numerous clubs who wanted him before Mourinho, I won’t have to wait a lifetime for Arsenal trophies.
They will come, that’s what the last eight years has been about for Arsenal, the trophies will come. As sure as Mourinho is a spiteful little troll, the Arsenal trophies will come.