Whenever an important player leaves a club and a new one arrives, there is generally a rule in the footballing world were people must compare that player to the outgoing hero, or a previous star. Can they fill his boots? Will he rise to the challenge? But equally, newly arriving managers face the exact same scrutiny – a task made all the more daunting if sitting in the hot-seat of those who have achieved success and had a legendary status bestowed upon them. So can managers truly succeed, when directly following a ‘great’, in the modern era were results and success needs to be instant? Or is it virtually mission impossible?
It seems a catch-22 situation to be placed in from the start. Attempting to replace a legend is a thankless task. Win, and it’s expected – the norm. Lose, and the accolades of the former manager are thrust into full view, with negative headlines splashed across the papers. You could never just be ‘your own man’. Every decision, tactic, signing and substitution is scrutinised with unfair comparisons being made. Catch-22.
The recent intense pressure placed on Arsene Wenger in the media (maybe not helped by himself in some small part by the apparent, early stinginess in the transfer market) led to talk of him possibly walking out of Arsenal, or being shown the door. If that scenario was to occur, who would replace him? He has been an absolutely legendary figure at the Gunners since he arrived back in the 90’s, transforming the club’s playing identity, whilst also bringing it into the new century with his training, dietary and psychological methods that were virtually unheard of in the English game at the time. The success that followed only added to his adulation, thus ensuring a near-impossible task for whoever replaces him, whenever that time comes.
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It’s the same at Manchester United, though even more daunting. Talk of Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement has been around for years. As to who his eventually replacement may be has been discussed many times with various names thrown into the hat. With United’s success, it has been safe to say that whoever is attaining similar success, or hype (or both) at the time, would have been named as Ferguson’s definite heir. But whoever sits in that hot-seat faces an almighty task. How do you replace the man who has guided a team through the most successful period in their history – by far!?? Who lasted over a quarter of a century, collecting the biggest trophies for much of that period? It will be a brave man who sits in that seat. Win, and it’s the norm – but they would also have to win playing a certain style. Lose? Well losing won’t be an option.
One man who is many people’s favourite to succeed Ferguson is a coach who himself attained legendary status at not one, but three successful clubs, thus ensuring his successors a tough time even before they began work; Jose Mourinho. Directly after leaving Porto having won the European Cup, the club burnt through four managers in little under two years as none could live up to what Mourinho achieved. At Chelsea, he (along with the help of a certain Russian’s bank account) won the league title instantly; a feat the club hadn’t achieved for 50-years. More silverware followed but success in Europe was never realised and after a fallout with the owner, the Portuguese moved to Italy. Chelsea, have had five managers since he left. At Inter, Mourinho walked in to a pressure situation; Inter, fresh from being winners of Serie A, were in the ascendancy. Not winning the Scudetto for Inter in the wake of Calciopoli would be seen as a massive catastrophe, bordering on embarrassment. However Mourinho’s remit was clear: deliver the European Cup. He duly obliged, cementing his status as Inter legend and ensuring his replacement would have an impossible task. That man was Rafa Benitez, and he lasted six months.
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Back to Chelsea, who had their brief dominance under Mourinho interrupted by Manchester United, and have now turned to the ‘new Mourinho’ in order to reclaim glory; Andre Villas-Boas. The comparisons are immense. Dubbed ‘mini-Mourinho’ by the press, Villas-Boas served under Mourinho, whilst at Chelsea and Inter, and that has also brought the instant pressure and hype of being compared with Chelsea’s most iconic former manager. But there is a difference this time that will put Villas-Boas in good stead; he’s done it before. Yes, at Porto he was finally the manager who filled Mourinho’s shoes, even surpassing some of his former mentor’s records at the club.
An immense pressure is sat on Villas-Boas’ young shoulders, as it is for any manager who chooses to sit in the seat once occupied by a club legend. Can he succeed in ‘mission impossible’?
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