I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Chapter 576: Chapter 43: Full Firepower (Part 2)

Since then, whenever Mourinho ”commits an offense,” it’s always at a critical turning point for the team.

Clearly, Mourinho has become very adept at using red cards to boost his players’ morale.

This spring, he once again used the ”handcuff gate” incident to successfully replicate the miracle from 5 years ago.

Although there was no red card, Mourinho’s handcuff gesture protesting the referee earned him a 3-match ban, yet all of Italy was pondering about Inter Milan’s referee issues.

Moreover, it was the life-and-death moment between Inter Milan and Chelsea in the Champions League: the opponent was not only his former employer but also his old adversary in Serie A, Ancelotti.

At such a critical moment, Mourinho successfully transferred the pressure from the media and fans onto his ”handcuffs,” allowing the players to prepare with ease.

Now, coinciding with the most important national derby in Spain, Mourinho’s move to initiate psychological warfare three weeks in advance is in line with the red card tactics he has matured over the past 8 years.

Mourinho is a master of sports psychology, and his pre-game psychological warfare is almost unrivaled in the world today.

Whenever he explains his ”impulses,” he always emphasizes his explosive personality.

But in reality, this meticulous scientific madman is not so easily angered by referees to the point of losing his mind; it is far from simple.

Spectators in Spain noticed that Mourinho was sent off four times in Italy in 2009 alone.

This is not counting this year, when he was suspended for 3 games due to a handcuff gesture, despite not receiving a red card.

On the surface, these four punishments stemmed from dissatisfaction with the referees: clapping by the referee’s ear to mock their foolishness, circling the field after being sent off to protest; all these seemingly appear to be uncontrollably impulsive outbursts of a hot-headed rookie.

But behind these red cards and suspensions is a very clear thread: Mourinho continually utilizes the media to elevate the degree of attention on himself in Italy, thereby further reducing the attention on the team itself.

When they won the Triple Crown last season, Moratti stated that it was the most harmonious season in the Inter Milan locker room during his presidency.

And a major reason for this was that Mourinho alone took all the newspaper headlines, even rebels like Balotelli couldn’t stir up trouble, completely yielding to the Portuguese’s performance.

Just look at the coaching record when Mourinho is suspended; his winning rate is even higher when he’s not on the sidelines.

In the last 8 matches following his dismissals, Mourinho’s team remained unbeaten with 6 wins and 2 draws.

Additionally, in the 5 matches banned by UEFA and the Italian Football Association, he secured 2 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss, with the lost match in Munich when they led 2-1 until the last moment when defensive complacency allowed the Germans to score 2 goals, but the team still advanced to the Champions League semi-finals with a 6-4 aggregate.

In May 2003, during the penultimate round of the Portuguese Primeira Liga, Mourinho’s composure was such that he could proactively seek a red card to enjoy his first major championship from the VIP box with his family in the final home round.

And last season’s Serie A final round, Mourinho repeated the trick, but this time he didn’t seek a red card; instead, he voluntarily stepped aside from the coaching seat, giving assistant coach Faria a chance to experience the championship cheers—also Mourinho’s first Serie A title.

Many of Mourinho’s psychological tactics stem from his experiences in Portugal.

When leading Inter Milan at Camp Nou, he entered half an hour early to enjoy the jeers of the fans, a tactic he used with Porto against Benfica before.

Pre-match attacks on opponents’ diving, criticism of referees’ favoritism, emphasizing personal attacks, leaving Ferguson, Wenger, and Ancelotti in a mess, was also used during his Porto days against Sporting Lisbon and Benfica.

However, as these psychological tactics began to spread across Europe, their effectiveness became less pronounced than initially.

But the ”mastering red cards” secret exclusive to Mourinho alone has remained unmatched in the past 5 years.

The madman won the Porto Derby with red cards, defeated Lazio, the biggest enemy in the UEFA Cup, beat the Champions League master Barcelona, and conquered his old club Chelsea...

And now, when Real Madrid’s internal players were under media attack, he began proactively ”attacking” Barcelona’s players.

And this effect was significant.

People started focusing more on Mourinho rather than the internal affairs of Real Madrid.

What?

Pepe’s contract renewal?

It’s nowhere near as interesting as the feud between Mourinho and Guardiola.

But clearly, Mourinho’s tactics didn’t seem effective, as in the recently concluded 12th round of the league, just before the 13th round national derby.

Barcelona achieved a rare 8-1 victory against Almeria.

They showcased their prowess before the national derby.

And at the end of this game, both Barcelona and their core player Messi created records.

Barcelona

An 8-0 crushing of their opponent led directly to the opponent’s coach dismissal;

They matched their own largest away win record in La Liga set 50 years ago;

They created the biggest victory margin in European football this season;

With 6 consecutive wins, they created momentum for the upcoming national derby and surpassed Real Madrid in goals scored;

Their coach created the club’s best consecutive away win record.