Mourinho's greatest victory: When Inter repeatedly disenchanted Guardiola's Barcelona
The 2010 Champions League semifinal between FC Barcelona and Inter Milan defined his era. How José Mourinho found a solution against the seemingly invincible Catalans.
One of the greatest coaching rivalries in modern football originated in the summer of 2008. FC Barcelona, Champions League winners two years earlier, was at the end of its rope with coach Frank Rijkaard and the fading superstar Ronaldinho. A fresh start was needed, initially on the sidelines.
The final two candidates on the Catalan successor list could hardly be more different. First, there's Pep Guardiola, a former top-class player for the club, but with only one year of coaching experience in Barcelona's reserve team. And then there's the "Special One," José Mourinho. Champions League winner with Porto, multiple English champion with Chelsea, the new star in the European coaching firmament. Barca opted for Guardiola.
"The Translator"The choice, which in retrospect was the right one, was admittedly a bold one at first. It was particularly linked to the respective playing philosophies and demeanor of the two candidates, which tipped the scales for the club. The decision in favor of Guardiola is certainly partly due to his playing days with the Blaugrana, something the sour-faced Mourinho is convinced of – who, incidentally, also served as assistant to coaches Bobby Robson and Louis van Gaal between 1996 and 2000.
But the self-confident Portuguese player was always ridiculed as "the translator" during this time, because that was originally his most important job under the Englishman Robson. Now, as a made man, he was determined to return to Camp Nou and prove everyone wrong. But FC Barcelona, whom Mourinho now views as an enemy, won't allow him to do so—while taking over at Inter Milan.
Fast-forward almost two years. In the spring of 2010, Barca, under Guardiola, had already turned football on its head, virtually outpacing him with their possession-based positional play paired with tight counter-pressing. In 2009, the "sextuple" emerged, and no one really knew how to stop this super team. In the 2010 Champions League semifinals, on the way to a seemingly inevitable title defense, FC Barcelona faced Mourinho's Inter. Naturally, they were the heavy favorites.
Mourinho and Guardiola were once close confidantsFor the Catalans, this is certainly a challenge, but for the Special One, this semifinal is far more than that. He still has a bone to pick with Barca, but the Portuguese is also deeply annoyed by Guardiola, with whom he had a close relationship during their time together in the 1990s . Specifically, by his public status as the great savior of modern football and Barcelona's status as its good, clean-up men.
While Mourinho increasingly embraces the contradictory role of the villain – several of his players report constructing enemy images to motivate their coach – his playing philosophy gradually develops into the counterpart of the celebrated "Tiki-Taka".
Mourinho's lineup for the first leg against Barcelona in Milan demonstrates that he didn't always play a destructive defensive, counter-attacking style of football. He countered Guardiola's attacking power with four of his own strikers: Wesley Sneijder, Goran Pandev, Samuel Eto'o, and Diego Milito.
The Special One also proves himself to be a clever tactician. He cleverly engineers a spatial distribution that allows his defenders to take control of the freely moving Lionel Messi. With quick, wide crosses into the spaces behind Barcelona's advancing full-backs and plenty of pace in one-on-ones, Inter are the better team in their home game. Although Barca take the lead at San Siro, the final score is 3-1.
A volcano forces Barca to travel by bus for 16 hoursHigher powers, which Mourinho always believes are against him in defiant press conferences, are lending Milan a helping hand. Milito's goal for the final goal was slightly offside, and shortly before the end, the defending champions were denied a potential penalty. And anyway, Barca were still reeling from a 16-hour bus ride because the eruption of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull temporarily paralyzed air traffic in Europe. But excuses don't help.
A first step has been taken, a first triumph over Guardiola's empire has been celebrated. But Barcelona are even more dangerous at home, and a 2-0 victory would be enough for the Catalans due to the away goals rule still in effect at the time. A "Remuntada" banner—the Catalan spelling—flaps promisingly from the stands at Camp Nou before kickoff.
Of course, Inter's main task was to defend their lead, especially from the 28th minute onwards: In a challenge with Sergio Busquets, Thiago Motta swiped his hand backward and touched his opponent in the face. Busquets then fell theatrically to the ground, covering his face with his hands – but was caught by the TV cameras mischievously peering through his hands to see if his stunt was working.
Such deceptions are – along with cynical tactical fouls – one of the flaws that plague Guardiola's supposed perfectionists, but, much to Mourinho's annoyance, they are never truly blamed for this. His anger grows even more when Motta, who had already received a yellow card, receives a completely excessive red card. The Catalans were probably simply not capable of such a simulation. They just want to play.
Down to ten men and two goals ahead, Mourinho definitively turned his team into the anti-Barcelona. During this time, the then 47-year-old developed a seven-point plan for winning big matches, consisting of theses such as "The team that makes fewer mistakes wins" or "The one who has more possession makes more mistakes." The return match in Barcelona confirmed his approach.
Ten Milan players form a 4-4-1, more often a 5-4-0, and simply refuse to be lured in. Unlike Manchester United, who simply couldn't stand having so little possession in the 2009 Champions League final against Barca, Inter refrain from the futile and embarrassing chase after the ball – and keep a clean sheet.
For a long time, Barca's attacks were in vain because Guardiola only had one plan A. Barca's desperate flank attack only really began in the final stages, when the giant striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who consistently felt unfamiliar with Guardiola's system, had already been substituted.
Fittingly, in the 84th minute, the 1.94-meter-tall center-back Gerard Piqué, who had been called forward, scored the 1-0, making things tense once again. But Inter also survived what appeared to be a 2-0 goal through Bojan Krkic in stoppage time, which was disallowed due to a handball by the assist provider, Yaya Touré – meaning even the superb Barcelona team couldn't defend their then-unmatched title. With a fabulous defensive performance, the depleted Inter knocked the Catalans out of the tournament.
For Mourinho, it's a very personal victory. "I've already won the Champions League, but today's was even better," he declared at the post-match press conference, after completing a euphoric celebration run across the Camp Nou pitch. This explanation really wasn't necessary.
As the Milanese celebrate their place in the final in the middle of Barca's stadium, the sprinklers suddenly turn on – and with them, the halo of light surrounding the aggrieved Catalans fades for the first time. It's the most enjoyable moment for Mourinho, who thus disenchants his deposed arch-enemies in several ways.
So much dislike for FC Barcelona and then also the ability to beat them: When a few weeks later, after Inter's Champions League and treble triumph, Barca's arch-rival Real Madrid also forces a fresh start on the sidelines, there is only one candidate.
