The effervescent Portuguese might have no formal role in Sunday's clash at Stamford Bridge but he remains the key figure in the story of both clubs' seasons
He may currently have no official link with either club, but Jose Mourinho is the man whose image is writ large over the build-up to Chelsea’s clash with Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Less than nine months on from leading his beloved Blues to the Premier League title, he is now a peripheral figure when it comes to the football itself. Sacked by Chelsea in December and since shunned by United, despite their own issues at what appeared the ideal time to call the Portuguese in for Old Trafford talks, Mourinho has instead been left to deal with rejection on two fronts.
Yet his name remains the buzz word around both camps with his spectre haunting Guus Hiddink and Louis van Gaal in equal measure, albeit in very different senses.
For Hiddink, a 10-match unbeaten run has done little to paper over the cracks left in the Chelsea squad when Mourinho was ousted in December. Still unconvincingly limping along, the Blues have won only two of seven league games since the Dutchman took over and the football has been only a slight variation on what his predecessor was offering.
While they have looked slightly less exposed since Hiddink decided to pair up Nemanja Matic and Jon Obi Mikel at the heart of midfield, the safety-first approach has done nothing to facilitate a carefree march up the Premier League table.
"We are playing better and better every week. I like to see how the team is playing, especially in the last 20-25 minutes when we pushed," said Hiddink after the 0-0 midweek draw with Watford, but there can be little disguising the fact that this team is still performing well short of its potential.
That is perhaps to be expected, considering what Mourinho left behind. A toxic dressing-room atmosphere, an unfamiliar losing culture, a group of players with a tendency for fight over flare and a fan base still voicing its love for his predecessor hardly make the ideal cocktail for a new manager, even when handed a squad only 17 games removed from lifting a league title.
Over at Old Trafford, the figure of Mourinho lurking in his shadows has proved just as much a distraction for Van Gaal. An upturn in both performance levels and results over the last couple of games might have released a little of the pressure on the 64-year-old’s shoulders but in truth there is still a large portion of the United fan base that would much rather see Mourinho on the visitors’ bench on Sunday than the current incumbent.
Mourinho has the attitude and charisma to take on the task of making Manchester United great again, and with every dropped point since the Portuguese became available seven weeks ago, Van Gaal’s record has become infinitely more difficult to defend. The United board’s distaste for Mourinho’s polarising and abrasive manner seems to have been a far larger stumbling block to the widely-touted change than a real belief in the Dutchman’s ability to turn around fortunes.
What Van Gaal does have going for him is the backing of executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward, whose position has been weakened by United’s struggles since he took his post in 2013. A second successive regime failure after the travails of David Moyes would undermine Woodward’s claims of progress and as such he has thrown his weight behind the manager until now.
But Mourinho is known to be a huge admirer of Manchester United and made it clear after his Stamford Bridge departure that he cannot wait to get cracking again.
“He will not be taking a sabbatical, he isn’t tired, he doesn’t need it, he is very positive, and is already looking forward,” a statement from Mourinho’s agent explained.
“Because of his love of football, you will see Jose at football grounds working and supporting friends. He will not be attending any high-profile games because he wants to discourage any speculation about his future.”
That speculation continues though, with many predicting the dissolution of Van Gaal’s contract at some point between now and the summer to allow Mourinho to succeed him at Old Trafford. To many it appears inevitable, but for now the status quo remains.
Hiddink’s Chelsea remain a shadow of the champions they were last season, while Van Gaal’s United still look for inspiration in their bid to rally from a position of weakness. And all the while, Mourinho stands in the shadows.
Whether holidaying in China, sitting in the stands at Brighton or showing his support to Gianni Infantino at Wembley, Mourinho is representing the narratives of both Chelsea and Manchester United everywhere he goes.
His self-imposed absence from high-profile games means he won’t actually be at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, and yet in every other sense he will be the most domineering presence in the stadium.
- Goal