Chapter 272 Finals

What kind of conditions does a person need to have in order to succeed?

I believe this is a secret that everyone in the world is eager to know, because everyone is eager to succeed and to succeed forever.

But the successful experience expounded by each successful person will always belong to him and cannot be applied to others.

Some people say that success can be copied, but Mourinho firmly believes that success cannot be copied.

It's like there is only one Jose Mourinho in this world we live in!

On May 4, 2004, at 22:35:36 in the evening, Mourinho looked at the watch on his left wrist and remembered this time. He believed that he would never forget this day and this moment.

At the moment when the whistle sounded, he covered his mouth and tears burst out, but he did not let his inner cry spread out, because he had always hoped that he could show himself in front of everyone with the strongest image.

But today, at this moment, he had no way and no reason to stop himself from crying.

At this time a year ago, he led the depressed Porto team to the UEFA Cup final with doubts and pressure, and successfully won the UEFA Cup, but no one knew him at that time, and no one cared about this unknown person from Portugal.

So much so that when the UEFA draw ceremony at the beginning of this season was held, many people couldn't help but raise their doubts in their hearts and in the newspapers when they saw Mourinho take the Coach of the Year Award from Ye Qiu. Jose? Mourinho? Who? Why?

At that moment, he kept telling himself in his heart that their doubts were not important, and what was important was that he should strive for excellence.

His experience has never been smooth, and he has been accompanied by bumps and bumps all the way, from being an assistant to famous coaches to the failure of coaching alone, and finally being driven off the stage in disgrace and encountering a low point. All of this made him cherish the honor and achievements he has now.

Until now, he has led Porto to the Champions League final again. This is the second consecutive year that he has reached the final of a European event. Even Ye Qiu did not have this achievement in the past. Now he has an impulse. He really wants to ask those who looked down on him and thought he was not worthy of the annual coach award. Am I worthy?

Perhaps, in the eyes of many people, it is silly to ask this question, but in Mourinho's view, he is willing to pay millions of times more effort and sweat to ask this question, because he thinks it is worth it!

If you ask Mourinho why you can succeed, he will not tell you the real reason. He will only tell you that I am a born winner, but that is a hypocritical mask. He knows very well in his bones that his success comes from inferiority.

Inferiority is not a derogatory word in many cases. On the contrary, it can be a commendatory word, because inferiority can make people clearly see their own shortcomings, make people humble, become more motivated, and become more desire.

The most terrible thing for a person is not to see himself clearly, which will make you lost in the jungle of this world.

From the moment he coached Porto, Mourinho was very determined to achieve his goal, which was success!

He longed for success, and he even wanted to be the most successful person in the world, surpassing anyone, and not allowing anyone to be more successful than him, so he was crazy and arrogant, but he never lost himself, because he always knew clearly where he should be and where he should go.

Chairman Da Costa once jokingly asked, "Jose, do you know why I chose you to take over Porto?"

"It's because you are realistic enough. You are a realist like me. We only accept success and not failure. As long as we can succeed, we can even do whatever it takes."

"The reason why you have failed in so many clubs and even fell to the bottom for a time, but you succeeded in Leiria and Porto is because you understand this truth. This world is very cruel and realistic. Only those who are more realistic than it are qualified to conquer it!"

Although Mourinho doesn't like Da Costa and he is eager to escape from Da Costa's control, he has to admit that he is deeply influenced by Da Costa. He even can't tell whether these ideas are originally his but have not been discovered, or Da Costa instilled them into him bit by bit through a series of events.

That old man is so terrible, so terrible that you are obviously resistant, but you dare not be afraid of him!

But at this moment, at the Riazor Stadium, when the whistle sounded at the end of the game, Mourinho suddenly saw the hope of breaking free from his shackles. He finally saw that the future was no longer dark, but a dawn.

That was the dawn he had been waiting for for a long, long time, and he had been fighting for it all his life!

So, he couldn't help but cover his mouth and cry!

In the stands of the Riazor Stadium, countless fans saw this scene, but for the fans of Deportivo La Coruna, they had no feelings for the young coach from Portugal. They were immersed in the gloom of the team's upset by the opponent.

Only Jorge Mendes, the shrewd guesser, could understand Mourinho's mood.

The two are actually very similar in many ways. For example, their backgrounds are both ordinary. For example, they are often unable to completely make decisions for themselves and their careers. For example, they both believe in a very realistic pragmatism.

No one knows better than Mendes what Mourinho has done to get where he is today, and no one knows better than Mendes the hardships Mourinho has endured to get to where he is today.

Da Costa once said to Mendes that Mourinho is not strictly speaking a good head coach.

"He does not have the astute and wise tactical sense that great coaches should have. He cannot bring tactical innovation to a team. He is not a thinker, and he is not even a brilliant tactical system designer. So he will fail, but I firmly believe he will succeed!"

"He is not a master tactician, but it does not mean that he is not excellent. On the contrary, his tenacious will and fighting spirit allow him to become an excellent motivator and team builder, and use this to build a team with tenacious fighting spirit." team."

"You know, in fact, to defeat an opponent on the football field, the tactics do not have to be complicated, nor do they have to be smarter than the opponent. Sometimes the simplest and most direct method is also the most effective method, and he just needs to learn This will make it successful, which is why I arranged for him to go to Leiria!”

"Idealism and personal dreams are too luxurious for this real world!"

Later, the young man who was sent to Leiria by Da Costa soon became the savior of Porto.

It was the same set of tactics and the same lineup, but he led Porto out of the trough.

Sometimes, Mendes wonders, is it possible that we always think of the world as too complicated, but in fact it is very simple, but we are too smart?

Just like this game against Deportivo La Coruna, they were tied 0:0 at home by Deportivo La Coruna. Many people helped Mourinho design countless away tactics, some of which were very complex. It was very targeted, but Mourinho did nothing. He just used his best trick, defensive counterattack, and Deportivo fell.

I heard some Porto fans shouting the name of the Brazilian forward Delle who was responsible for the goal. It seemed that Mourinho regarded the Brazilian forward who had just returned from injury as a surprise player. But in fact, even if it is not Delle, Even with McCarthy, Porto still wins, because the world is that simple!

But Mendes couldn't help but think of the one at Chelsea, the one Mourinho didn't want to hear or mention.

He is strange because he never seems willing to repeat himself. From the constant innovation of Ajax to Chelsea, his entire tactical system and style have changed a lot. He is undoubtedly an excellent tactician. Master, he has a very keen sense of tactical system and is always leading the trend.

Unlike Mourinho who insists on using pragmatic tactics, Ye Qiu has always adhered to his own tactical philosophy, which is control, and control is often a very complicated thing that requires a huge and cumbersome system engineering. maintain.

The two can be said to be completely different, but they are so successful, which makes Mendes very interested in the next Champions League final, because in his view, it is more like a collision of two football concepts.

"I will definitely defeat Ye Qiu in the final and beat Chelsea!" Compared to Mendes' expectations, Mourinho seemed even more impatient. When interviewed by reporters, he asked about Ye Qiu, who is most likely to encounter him in the final. When Chelsea played in autumn, the Portuguese almost did not hesitate to express his belief in victory.

"I will use the facts to tell everyone that Ye Qiu and Chelsea are not as strong as they imagined. For me and Porto, this is not only a Champions League final, but also a decisive battle to clear our names. !”

Although Mourinho did not say why he wanted to correct his name, everyone speculated that it was related to a series of incidents in the past.

A day later, Mourinho and Mendes appeared at Stamford Bridge Stadium in London.

…………

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There is actually not much suspense in this match between Chelsea and Monaco.

Sitting at Stamford Bridge, Mourinho felt that the more than 40,000 Blues fans at Stamford Bridge did not feel like they were watching the game at all, but like they were celebrating at home, as if they were full of confidence that the team could successfully advance to the finals. confidence.

The situation of the game did not disappoint the Blues fans who came to the scene. Chelsea scored just at the beginning. Ronaldinho took the lead with a very beautiful breakthrough and scored for Chelsea. The Brazilian He is the most outstanding star in the Champions League this season.

After taking the lead, Chelsea fans seemed to be celebrating a festival. They kept cheering and shouting in the stands, and they all celebrated like crazy. There were even many old people who couldn't help but burst into tears, and the paint on their faces was wiped off.

"Didn't you say that the home atmosphere at Stamford Bridge is very bad?" Mourinho frowned, a little confused.

This was what he understood from reports. He heard that Ye Qiu was not satisfied with the atmosphere at Chelsea's home court, but now it seemed that the Stamford Bridge was packed with seats, the fans were very excited, and the atmosphere was very hot and lively. How could it be considered bad?

Mendes, who was sitting next to him, shook his head. He didn't know what the situation was.

At this moment, a Chelsea fan wearing a blue jersey sitting next to them laughed, "Are you the head coach of Porto? Are you here to spy on our military affairs?"

Mourinho was disguised today, but he was still recognized. He was a little surprised and a little scared.

After all, this is Chelsea's territory. If Chelsea fans want to attack his future competitor, don't say anything else and just beat him up. Then there is nothing he can do, so worry is unavoidable.

"Don't be afraid, I don't mean any harm!" the old Englishman said with a smile.

After he said this, Mourinho felt relieved when he looked very relaxed and showed no sign of calling anyone.

"Did you know? In the history of London football, no London team has ever reached the Champions League final. Mr. Ye Qiu said that we will become the first London team to reach the Champions League final, and we will also become the first A London team that has won the European Champions League, we have no doubts!" ​​the elderly England fan said confidently.

Mourinho and Mendes both looked at each other, a little surprised. In their impressions, London football has always been a very prosperous concept, because it has the most Premier League teams in England. But what they didn't expect was that, It is indeed surprising that no team in London has reached the Champions League final.

After all, Liverpool had the Liverpool Red Army dynasty, Manchester also had the peak of Manchester United, Birmingham's Aston Villa also won the Champions League, and even cities like Nottingham and Leeds had the experience of teams winning the Champions League or reaching the finals. , but only London, England and even the largest and most prosperous city in the UK, have never had such an experience. This has always been an eternal pain in the hearts of London fans.

You know, in the UK, the status of football is comparable to belief, and the London team has never won the Champions League or reached the Champions League final. It has always been a major means for fans in other cities and regions to ridicule London fans, and it is a scar on London.

But now, Ye Qiu is leading this Chelsea team to make up for this scar.

"Do you think the atmosphere here is warm today?" the old Englishman asked with a smile, but before Mourinho could answer, he said it himself, "After the game is over, you can go and take a look around. If you go to downtown London, it will be a million times more lively than it is now. If we can win the Champions League, this city will definitely go crazy!”

After he finished speaking, the old Englishman himself laughed, seemingly very proud of this.

Mourinho and Mendes looked at each other, and both saw the smile in each other's eyes. It was this last bit of complacency that made this elderly English fan look more like a British fan, always with a bit of a smile on his face. Incomprehensible pride.

But just when Mourinho and Mourinho were laughing at the fan in their hearts, the fan said something that made Mourinho very embarrassed and almost made him furious.

"Mr. Mourinho, if you think that if you come to Stamford Bridge as an enemy, we will be disadvantageous to you, then you overestimate yourself and underestimate us. You really think that others can't recognize it." Come out? That's wrong. We all recognize you, but no one wants to pay attention to you. "

"For us, matters on the football field should be settled on the football field. To hurt you in the stands is an act of cowardice. It is because we lack confidence in defeating you on the football field. But we are not. We are committed to the team. Full of confidence, I will definitely beat you and your Porto in the Champions League final!”

"Because you are not as powerful as our Ye Qiu!"

If the first few sentences made Mourinho a little embarrassed and felt that he was judging a gentleman with a villain's heart, then the last sentence almost made him curse, because no one dared to do this in front of him. In terms of his appearance, he was not as good as Ye Qiu.

"Then I'll tell you, I will definitely knock him down!" Mourinho shot back stiffly.

The elderly Chelsea fan shrugged, "Wait until you do it. By the way, my name is Ron Hawkins. I have been a Chelsea fan and season ticket holder since I was a child. I will definitely go to Schalke to watch the game." , I want to see you lose with my own eyes!"

"Fart!" Mourinho cursed, not bothering to talk nonsense to such a person.

Ron Hawkins laughed and stood up, ignoring that Mourinho was right next to him, shouting loudly, "Come on, Chelsea! Come on, Ye Qiu!"

"Enter the finals! Win the championship!!"

Seeing his enthusiastic expression, which was completely inconsistent with his age, Mourinho sat in the stands, looked up at him, and became even more determined in his heart. He would definitely win, and after winning, he must let this person win. Look at the guy named Ron Hawkins. Ye Qiu, whom he trusted, is a loser, a complete loser!

But Mourinho's slander that Ye Qiu would capsize in the gutter did not come true, because after Deschamps and his Monaco lost 0:3 at home, they did not show much tenacious fighting will in the away game. On the contrary, their away game It seems more like defensive counterattacks are the main purpose, just to save face and not let yourself lose so miserably.

Ronaldinho's goal in the first half and Deco's goal in the second half finally helped Chelsea defeat Monaco 2:0, and eliminated the French Ligue 1 team from the Champions League with a total score of 5:0, successfully entering the Champions League. Champions League final.

When the referee blew the whistle to end the game, Mourinho stood up from his seat. The result of the game was not surprising. Ronaldinho was as good as ever, Deco was as stable as ever, and Lampard, although he did not score, worked as hard as ever.

This Chelsea team was also as stable and controlled as ever. Nothing was beyond Mourinho's expectations.

But for some reason, the Portuguese always felt that he seemed to have missed something.