Jose Mourinho is a well-known name in the world of sports. He’s a persona that transcendent football. These are all facts. This is the man who managed to win the Champions League with Porto and that speaks volumes for itself. Jose has been in the game his entire life, and the last twenty years of world football belong to him. He is in the spotlight, and he loves it. The Special One never hid from challenges, and the outspoken manager is already a legend despite having more than a few years ahead of him.
While his career is the testimony of his success, and he had prolonged stints of success with many clubs in the past, there’s one thing that is always pointed out with JM when it comes to him managing teams and players. His biggest successes came in his second season with all clubs he managed so far. This is what’s called Jose Mourinho’s second season syndrome. How he does do it, and what the catch is? It’s hard to tell. Is there something special? Yes. But, the bottom line is that this coach needs time to implement his ideas to the players, and after two years of working with him, many of them start playing their best football.
At the moment, Jose is managing the Italian side AS Roma, and as you could have guessed, it’s his second season there. Last year was a success too, with the Italians managing to secure the Conference League title. It took the Portuguese only one season to leave his mark in the Italy capital. Now, he’s fighting for the Europe league, and the Seria A title. Can he do it? Well, it’s Jose’s second season, so everything is possible. If you want to back him up and his team you can do it at bet365, but he will face stiff competition in Italy. The likes of Inter, Milan, Juventus, and Napoli won’t stand aside while he steamrolls towards another title.
But, as we mentioned already, the stars are on Mourinho’s side this year. Yes, we believe in the second season by Jose. The Roma team plays attractive football, which is not something we’re used to seeing from Mourinho’s teams in recent years. The likes of Paolo Dybala, Nicolo Zaniolo, and Tammy Abraham are a guarantee for a potent football. There’s plenty of time left to play in Italy, and while we’re waiting for the season to end let’s talk a little bit about the five interesting facts to know about José Mourinho’s second season.
It’s When the Magic Starts
It’s not magic per se it’s ideas, tactics, strategy, and Mou’s charisma. It takes time for players to get to know him. He’s a charismatic leader, there’s no arguing it. When year two arrives, he’s already incorporated his ideas, and the players are prepared to go to war for him. At least that’s what we heard from Dejan Stankovic. Also, during their two years at any club, Mourinho has four transfer windows at his disposal. Thanks to this, he’s able to retool the team to his likeness, and some of the results come from the fact that he gets the players he wants. Of course, all hell ensues when his wishes aren’t granted but that’s another story.
Success Follows
Yes, Mou brings the magic with him, and success is imminent. Most of the biggest successes in Jose’s career came in his second year at any given club. You can tell now, in hindsight, that he even managed to do wonders with the flawed Manchester United team a few years back. The team still hasn’t found its stride following Mou’s exit. One could argue that his second stint at Chelsea or the one he had at Tottenham a few years back wasn’t part of the pattern, but we would argue that he wasn’t given a proper chance.
Titles
The second season exists for a reason with Mourinho. What could be the reason? Well, for the Portuguese ace it’s the ideal time to win a title. Jose is one of a kind coach. In his own words, the second season matters more than the first because you had the time to get to know the club and the players. This is true in his case because in his second season he brings the title home. Yes, that’s right. Facts don’t lie. He managed to do this with every club he managed. He did it with Porto back in the day, with Chelsea in his both stints and with Inter and Real Madrid too. Will he do it at Roma? It remains to be seen. The road to Seria A title is open, considering that no team found its form as of yet.
Champions League
There aren’t many coaches who managed to win the Champions League more than once. Mourinho did it twice. Both times he did it memorably. Both times he did it in his second season. That’s right folks, this football genius managed to win the CL trophy in his second season with Porto and Inter. This is an amazing success, which will not be repeated by many others especially considering the quality of the teams he managed. With Inter he even managed to win both the domestic title and the cup. Unfortunately, he never managed to reach the final with Chelsea and Real Madrid. But, one could argue that he left the foundations for both teams’ successes in the competition in the years after he left.
Imminent Demise
While the success Jose Mourinho brings to the table in his second season, you can’t say that his stories always have a happy ending. As charismatic as he can be, he’s also difficult to work with when things are going south. After the heights of his second season, things usually go south from there. If you just take a look at his career so far, you will immediately notice that he doesn’t stick with one club for too long. Yes, he had and will have immeasurable success, but due to his nature, he will probably never be seen as a one-club legend similarly to Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger, and even Jurgen Klopp who’s been around Liverpool for while now, right?
