Ancelotti the real Special One, not Mourinho the manipulator
Last updated at 5:41 PM on 28th November 2010
Comments (0) Add to My Stories Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti are both outstanding football managers but their personalities could not be more different. It says everything that Mourinho has managed to earn himself a disciplinary charge following a 4-0 victory while Ancelotti has remained perfectly dignified despite all sorts of disasters on and off the field for Chelsea.
I wonder who really deserves to be called the Special One. Mourinho, who has won everything but treats the spirit of the game as an inconvenience, or Ancelotti, who has won everything but refuses to moan or complain when things go badly, as they have done in the build-up to today's game against Newcastle United.
Different styles: Mourinho is like Marmite, while Ancelotti does not indulge in histrionics
Taking Mourinho first, let's not kid ourselves, if a less fashionable club than Real Madrid had deliberately got two of their players sent off to gain an advantage in the future, UEFA would be sure to throw the book at them. It becomes a much harder call for the authorities to go after a club with the history and might of Madrid, although the fact that UEFA have charged Mourinho and four players suggests they might be brave enough to act this time.
Getting a yellow card deliberately breaks the spirit of the game. People may argue it isn't against the rules but that is missing the point. You can't cover every eventuality in writing, so there has to be some responsibility from those within the game to protect their sport. Of course, you compete hard but you also have to respect the spirit as well as the rules.
If Mourinho acted against the spirit of the game and UEFA value the concept, they must hand out a punishment that hurts, not a silly little fine. As Xabi Alonso and Sergio Ramos each got two yellows so they could play in the knockout stages of the Champions League, the valid punishment would be to ensure they can't play. It sends out a strong message against gamesmanship.
Mourinho is like Marmite, you either love or hate him. He has won too many times for it to be a coincidence and I think his trick is to get the players onside from the start. He gets them to believe in what he's doing and they are then desperate to try to make it happen.
Some players might be irritated by his desire to be in the limelight but more will be glad that he's a distraction when they have a bad result. Attention to the most miniscule detail is another Mourinho strength but it has backfired on him this time because that manipulation of yellow cards has been exposed.
Every manager has his own style but I am more sympathetic to the way Ancelotti has handled things at Chelsea. He has public sympathy for the way his No2, Ray Wilkins, was removed without his involvement, but has not thrown his toys out the pram and stormed off.
When Ancelotti was appointed, he was happy to inherit Wilkins from Luis Felipe Scolari and Guus Hiddink - unlike Mourinho, who insists on taking his backroom staff everywhere. So whereas Mourinho's relationship with Roman Abramovich went sour, Ancelotti will carry on with his job. Chelsea lost to Manchester City and Liverpool before Ray went, so the more recent defeats can't all be down to his departure.
Ancelotti has not moaned about the extremely disruptive injuries Chelsea have suffered this season, either. In some games they have had to start without the entire spine of the team: John Terry, Frank Lampard, Michael Essien and Didier Drogba.
Of those, only Drogba will play at St James' Park today. As soon as Terry comes back, Alex will have to go and have an operation.
And, remember, another of his summer signings, Yossi Benayoun, has hardly featured because of a longterm injury. A lot of managers would not have been shy in talking about the injuries when they are under pressure after losing matches but Ancelotti has preferred to concentrate on the players available, not the ones who aren't.
That is the old Liverpool way and it's a good way because it doesn't belittle the players who are coming in and doing their best.
Ancelotti also knows a couple of defeats don't end a season. He won the Double last year and started this weekend on top of the Premier League and already through to the knock-out stages of the Champions League. So he's right to stay on an even keel - every club have been criticised in this open Premier League season.
One goal in four games is not a typical Chelsea record. But Ancelotti has not indulged in histrionics. When Mourinho goes up before the UEFA disciplinary panel on Tuesday, Abramovich will be happy with the man he has in charge now.
