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Portugal
Mourinho says “Can’t Say No” will Real Madrid say “Yes”?
Comments(14)
Today Mourinho announced he couldn’t say no to Gilberto Madail’s invitation to coach the Selecção for the next to Euro 2012 qualifiers.
The Portuguese Football Federation Boss was in Madrid yesterday to convince the Real Madrid coach to accept the challenge. Mourinho said he doesn’t think it’s possible to perform a miracle (are we calling it a miracle now?) with just 3 days of work prior to the first game, but he couldn’t say “No”. He accepts the challenge as a sense of duty to his country. But. There is always a but. Will Real Madrid let him go? It’s all in Florentino Perez’s hands. Gilberto Madail will have to use his convincing skills to get Mourinho out of Madrid for those 2 games. Mourinho can’t see it happening. I can. Florentino loves publicity.
As I read so many opinions around the net that it’s all about money with José Mourinho, here’s an interesting fact: He doesn’t want a penny! “Not even to pay for the gas to drive over.”
Lets go over the facts shall we:
2 Games. 1 Point. Queiroz, who didn’t even sit in the bench, sacked. 1 Month until next game.
The FPF needed a solution that involved a coach with expert knowledge about Portuguese players because there simply isn’t enough time to evaluate the entire field of choice. That ruled out a lot of possibilities. Short on cash and in need of time to negotiate a proper contract led to a transitional solution… Mourinho. He fits the needed profile. He can inspire the players to out-perform themselves and he can get the Selecção fans to fill up the stadiums.
Mourinho concludes “I have nothing to win. Only to loose. Fortunately I sit in a chair 99.9% of all coaches would love to be in.”
But if you win. Songs will be written. Tales will be told.
UPDATE: Last evening Florentino said “NO” after all. “This is not the best time for Mourinho’s attention to get diverted from Real Madrid.”
That’s that. Madail will now probably go for the inexperienced Paulo Bento. I have my doubts.
A month? I wish we only have three weeks (counting today)
I do hope the FPF have someone ready when Perez says no.
Posted from 
Netherlands
The fact that 3 essential players of our Selecção are also 3 essential players of Real is not an irrevelvant issue. No matter how much Perez likes publicity…
It´s also not without its share of irony that 80% of the SPA NT is basicly Barça and that 30% of R Madrid is POR´s NT… 
Posted from Netherlands
@Luis
I can understand Madail’s wish to get Mourinho as coach for the next couple of games but to go as far as have him coordinate all NTs (A, U21, etc…) while he stays on at RM as head coach seems like something to much even for Mourinho. Besides couldn’t it get to a point where Mourinho would have to make calls that could make him unpopular at RM? Remember CR’s injury and how RM blames the NT. If Mourinho was at the helm it could constitute a conflict of interests.
@João
A month from the end of game 2 to the start of game 3. Yes we are reduced to 3 weeks now. I hope indeed the FPF has a backup plan. Any coach that walks in now -besides Mourinho- knows he wasn’t first choice. Not good for the ego, but ego’s don’t toss the ball around on the pitch…
@Alex
Yes but will Perez consider having Mourinho as head coach is a way to protect those 3 assets? So something like last year with CR doesn’t happen again. There are fans at RM blaming the NT for their failure to win the league. RM lost a lot of points while CR was out injured.
Posted from 
Portugal
Last evening Florentino said “NO” after all. “This is not the best time for Mourinho’s attention to get diverted from Real Madrid.”
That’s that. Madail will now probably go for the inexperienced Paulo Bento. I have my doubts.
http://www.record.xl.pt/Futebol/selecoes/interior.aspx?content_id=463798
Posted from Portugal
i didn’t get my hopes high on this one, but i learned one thing from this, Murinho will coach Portugal sooner than i thought, i had given it around 10 years before he coaches the NT, now i expect 5 years maximum maybe he’ll be coach by 2014 WC, unless our new coach does wonders and wins the euro (hopefully 
)
@ahmad, we have to beat the main contenders and qualify first. So, we have to start by beating Denmark at home and Iceland away. Given the current state of the NT, it’s rather difficult.
If we qualify without winning over Denmark and Norway, we won’t be competing for the title. You can be sure of that.
Posted from Portugal
All it takes is just a bit of “tranquilidade”… http://www.record.xl.pt/Futebol/selecoes/interior.aspx?content_id=463908
Posted from Netherlands
One positive note: he signs until 2012. This way we don’t have to go through another Carnaval like the one we had with Queiroz. No coach should get more then 2 years. If the results are good the contract is extended for another 2 years, never more. Signing 4 years with CQ was a shot in the foot.
Posted from Portugal
As soon as Queiroz was released (thank god), Bento was my first thought and choice. He played as a holding midfielder and this team needs to learn discipline on defense as well as how to ‘track back.’
He has coached almost the entire team at some point (Nani, Ronaldo, Liedson, Moutinho, Veloso, etc..) so he’s a natural fit.
Mourinho would be fantastic and ideal (obviously) but after talking with my brother and a few other people who have an understanding of his system (as well as enjoying his stint at Chelsea as a supporter) I don’t think he’d do optimal work pulling a “Guus Hiddink” and juggling two different fronts. He has a way that requires discreet control and continuous oversight (one of which are the reasons he left Chelsea in the first place). Bento’s the perfect choice at this point in the NT’s ‘development’ and moving forward.
Perfect choice? Hardly. Best choice available? Perhaps. Lets just be done with it and start to prepare for these two key matches.
Posted from 
United States
Luis — ‘Perfect choice’ assumes Mourinho isn’t available (because he obviously isn’t). Plus, like I said, this team requires real development.
Mourinho hasn’t really shown an ability to DEVELOP players (I’m not saying that he lacks this ability, it’s just that he really hasn’t HAD to, given the clubs he’s come into).
Now, pick out and mold great/excellent players into a winning system, culture, and attitude? Sure, he may be among the greatest ever.
However, a number of the egos in the current Selecao are writing checks that they can’t cash (especially at the international level). They need a bit of humility and to understand what it meant to people like Rui Costa, Figo, and Eusebio to put on the Portugal shirt.
In short, this ‘group’ haven’t accomplished SHIT together (and don’t kid yourself by lumping these guys in with the 2004 Euro NT; that group is LONG gone). Therefore, given all of these variables, Bento, IMO, is the perfect choice at this juncture.
“Mourinho hasn’t really shown an ability to DEVELOP players”
What? The majority of his Porto side went from obscurity to international stardom. He picked Maniche out of Benfica’s B team for goodness sake.
On your other points, I agree. This new group hasn’t accomplished much, but they’ve never had a real leader either.
Lets see what happens. In the end, Mourinho got a bump in stature and comes out looking like the king in waiting. The realm will be his one day – perhaps sooner than we imagined. P. Bento gets an opportunity – hey second to Mou isn’t too bad. He has to show his worth now.
Posted from United States
Boys and girls, it’s official.
PAULO BENTO.
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Even more detail about the meeting and Mourinho’s willingness to consider the charge.
http://dn.sapo.pt/desporto/seleccao/interior.aspx?content_id=1664507
Posted from
United States