Chelsea FC - Did Mourinho Disgrace His Side?

So has Jose Mourinho really disgraced Chelsea, as everyone seems to believe?

Jose Mourinho took to the latest press conference seemingly in a bad mood. The usually gregarious Chelsea manager with an opinion on just about anything was strangely not very forthcoming with new soundbites.

He might have been upset at the news of Wayne Rooney effectively pledging his foreseeable future to keeping David Moyes alive. He might have even been worried Everton could wreck any secret ambitions Chelsea were harboring for the title. He may have been deep in thought, planning to pursue Edinson Cavani who made his displeasure at having to labor unnoticed at PSG quite open.

But mostly, Mourinho was quiet because of the tide of negative reaction that swept him away in the aftermath of his calling Arsene Wenger a “specialist in failure“. This was supposed to be Chelsea’s England; a land that welcomed sharp elbows and even sharper tongues at press conferences. This was not Spain with its disdain for Mourinhoai??i??s eye-poking and boastful claims.

But for the first time, there was general consensus that Jose Mourinho had crossed a line. This was certainly surprising for a man who had, for all intents and purposes, gotten away with calling Wenger a voyeur during his earlier stint at Chelsea. Back then, he did eventually tender the Frenchman an apology, but he hadnai??i??t quite been at the receiving end of the barrage of criticism that surprised him this time around.

Surely accusing someone of voyeurism was worse than calling them a specialist in failure. The latter is ridiculously tame, and yet Chelsea’s master of controversy has been raked over the coals in a surprising turn of events.

What Mourinho failed to realize was that he had unwittingly played the role of evil bully to Arsene Wengerai??i??s innocent kid routine, by engaging the Arsenal boss in a verbal duel. Arsene Wengerai??i??s years of not winning a trophy have ensured the position of eternal underdog is always his for the claiming. The worldai??i??s pity flows his way. So itai??i??s perfectly understandable for Arsene Wenger to take potshots at Mourinho by referring to the Chelsea managerai??i??s playing down of Chelsea’s title chances as arising from a ai???fear of failureai???.

Itai??i??s understandable because as the underdog, Arsene Wenger can fire the first shot and claim self-defense in the same breath.

Does that seem fair? Of course, not. Which is precisely why Mourinho put on his grumpy face. Common sense would dictate that it was Arsene Wenger who disgraced himself by prodding Mourinho into a confrontation by accusing him essentially of being a coward. Once Mourinho paid him back in the same coin, the Frenchman played the victim and feigned horror at having his sparkling white laundry dragged through the mud.

The rest of the world predictably went along for the ride, because you can decapitate a referee on the field and cause a stampede in a stadium all you want, but there is somehow no bigger disgrace in the footballing world than Chelsea’s boss calling a pretentious rival manager, with an annoyingly pseudo-professorial air, the biggest expert in snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

Yes, that’s unforgivable.

There is another reason worth exploring, though.

Perhaps everyone already knows deep down that Arsene Wenger was to blame for this latest flare-up. And if Mourinho had chosen to respond by calling Wenger a voyeur, they might have all looked the other way. If Mourinho had chosen to call Wenger a drug-peddling, demon-worshipping maniacal clown, they might have been just as equally willing to ignore or shrug it off as another one of Mourinhoai??i??s silly little taunts.

But what Mourinho said this time around, was different. It was true. Suddenly the whole world stood up and took notice, as Wengerai??i??s last remaining vestige of dignity was stripped away from him. The emperor, sans clothes, was exposed for what he was. A man who could have run away with a league title begging to be taken home to the Emirates but had stumbled yet again.

And thatai??i??s why the outrage and condemnation has been swift and merciless toward the Chelsea manager. Mourinho crossed a line by touching Wengerai??i??s rawest nerve, when he should have merely lobbed silly, generic insults of a high-school level. Mourinho hadnai??i??t disgraced Chelsea. He had disgraced Wenger by questioning the manai??i??s achievements, self-worth, dignity and very purpose of existence in one clever turn of phrase.

A specialist in failure.

Stick and stone may break my bones, but words…

Tags: Chelsea FC Mourinho Wenger

Chelsea FC – Did Mourinho Disgrace His Side?

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