Mourinho was angered by a celebration by Marco Ianni, but otherwise seemed calm
Sunday 21 October 2018 11:37, UK
Jose Mourinho tried not be the centre of attention at Stamford Bridge. Instead, the attention came to him. Gerard Brand was there to watch over the Manchester United manager.
He said he'd behave. He said he wouldn't celebrate too provocatively if his side scored. Jose Mourinho stayed true to his word, and somehow came away from a nasty Stamford Bridge melee, in which he was at the centre, looking like the better man.
Under the threat of another FA charge, Mourinho was calm and collected for 95 minutes and 30 seconds of United's 2-2 draw at Chelsea on Saturday, but this tone was evident the day before.
Late Barkley leveller sparks scuffle
Signs of life at United?
In his interview with Sky Sports' Geoff Shreeves on Friday, Mourinho came across contemplative of his situation, supportive of his players and even admitted the criticism has hurt him, because "I am a man, like you are."
Has he changed tack? From the outside looking in, it seems Mourinho is attempting to dispose of any sticks his critics can use to beat him with, to give them little excuse to join the "manhunt". Ross Barkley's 96th-minute equaliser gave Marco Ianni an excuse to act irresponsibly, goading Mourinho with a few pumps of the fist. Then, chaos ensued.
It is unclear what Sarri's second assistant Ianni expected. Even the most sedate of managers would have found it difficult not to react. If Mourinho hadn't, a coach or player may have.
Thankfully, there was enough security in the chasm between the benches to prevent anything too nasty, and to Ianni's credit, an apology was swift - and accepted - after the match.
WATCH: Jose in Stamford Bridge melee
Redknapp: I get Jose's reaction
The fact Mourinho and Sarri were actively attempting to explain the situation to each other and shake hands also extinguished any chances of an Us versus Them touchline battle. Sarri admitted Chelsea were in the wrong, and that should be that, barring some potential internal disciplinary for Ianni.
For Mourinho, it was a hectic end to what had been an exemplary display. Though he did not display much bitterness in the post-match interviews, he did stick three fingers up to the Stamford Bridge crowd as they used a profanity to tell him where to go.
Three fingers for the three Premier League titles he had won at Chelsea, but this didn't seem like a gloat. Instead, was he hurt?
Asked if he got respect from the Chelsea fans, Mourinho told Sky Sports: "No, I don't think so. But that's not my responsibility. I have a certain level of education, socially and in sport, and what I did here today, I will do one day in Madrid, Porto, Milan, I will try to behave the same way. But then the reaction of the fans is up to them, not up to me."
How Stamford Bridge drama unfolded
Jose accepts Chelsea coach apology
Throughout the game, Mourinho was calm. From just before Chelsea's opener in the 21st minute to just before United's leveller in the 55th, Mourinho only got to his feet at half-time. If there was any panic at the scoreline, any urge to gesture at officials or fans, he hid it well. Focused and encouraging, this was Mourinho on his best behaviour.
He waved to United fans for singing his name, and even had his feet up and legs crossed at 1-0 down. Even through United's goals he celebrated the least of his players and staff.
With United 2-1 up, he tasted victory. He reacted in wild celebration to Chris Smalling and Marcus Rashford throwing their bodies about on halfway to win the ball. He even seemed to clap the Chelsea fans for giving former midfielder Juan Mata a good reception as he left the pitch, just two minutes after their side had gone behind.
And the post-match fireworks didn't come.
"I am not annoyed with anything. Sarri was the first one to come to me to say he would resolve the problem internally with me. After that, his assistant came to me in Sarri's office and apologised to me.
"I immediately said if you really feel that way, and you want to apologise, of course I accept apologies, and to forget it because I made lots of mistakes in my career. So I'm not going to kill you because of one."
Mourinho even had a laugh with the press after the game at one journalist suggesting Sarri's "dealing" of Ianni may be stronger than usual, given "he is Italian."
The 40-second snippet of Mourinho's fury may last long in the memory, but the actual anger has already passed. Will he carry this tone into the next few weeks and months?
United's next five fixtures are: Juventus (H), Everton (H), Bournemouth (A), Juventus (A) and Man City (A). Managers' moods are often result-dependent. And so the intrigue continues.
