Special One: Success Guaranteed the Nerazzuri?

By: Sam | June 2nd, 2008

The Guardian has a fresh poll — good for a few more days — concerning Jose’ Mourinho’s potential success at Internazionale.

$... will now seek the coveted Double in Italy\'s Serie A$ A good answer to this excellent question is nuanced. The situation is different than Chelsea in the respect that Moratti’s group of players at Inter already feel moderately successful and there is no heart-transplant required to get to the endline — which, surely, is The Double of the Scudetto & the Champions League.

Mentally, Chelsea were a blank slate. Indeed, there were many changes made to bolster an already talented group. When Mourinho came in and said, “You are champions. Be champions!” they knew he meant it. There was no choice in that atmosphere — where there are no stars — but to step up to his high yet nurturing standards.

The chemistry at Inter is going to demand all of Jose’s canny wit in man-managment. This group, which has played some very very good football together will not be so easy to convince that they can win the double by playing within a new, new system. He may have to take a subtle approach to the changes, particularly when Massimo Moratti says he doesn’t want a lot of them.

Look at the picture. He is probably scolding one of his players and pointing toward the opposing team’s net. Mourinho’s recipe is simpler than you may imagine. If you have ever seen one of his tactical charts and also a pass-map of a Chelsea match, one thing stands out. Mourinho’s teams do not pass backwards. Particularly in the wider flats when they are not resting with the ball by having it back across the backs, they are going forward and penetrating and applying the pressure. This is difficult to do while retaining possession at the rate Chelsea did. Perhaps one can appreciate the consistency of a Frank Lampard — no world-class player gets as much sheer schtick as “Fat” Frank Lampard — a little bit better in this light.

On Sir Jose’s charts, you’ll see three arrows from each position: one straight ahead, the other two at 45-degrees to that. Nothing points backward. There is no approval for back-passing in the Mourinho lexicon.

This is among the details that should be the easiest for Inter’s talented individuals to implement. Or else.

It is really not a complex game. And that’s why we love it so.