31.05.2010 13:42
Mourinho versus Barca
Edgar Fornós
Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho has just been confirmed as Real Madrid boss for the coming season and Barca fans can look forward to some interesting battles both on and off the pitch.
Mourinho has taken on the might of FC Barcelona on ten occasions over the past few seasons, first
with Chelsea and most recently with Inter Milan. The balance of power so far is slightly in
Barca’s favour – 4 wins, 3 draws and 3 defeats.
Recent disappointment
The last time Barca came up against one of Mourinho’s teams is
still fresh in the memory. Less than a month ago Barca beat Inter Milan 1-0 in the Camp Nou but
failed to reach the Bernabeu final by just one goal.
The best memory
Between 2004 and 2006 Chelsea, managed at the time by Mourinho, met Frank
Rijkaard’s Barca twice in R16 of the Champions League. The first time round, Mourinho led the
Premier League outfit into the quarterfinals but the following year it was the turn of FC
Barcelona, winning 1-2 in London and drawing 1-1 in the Camp Nou. Barca eventually went on to win
the Champions League in Paris.
The jinx of Stamford Bridge
However,
in terms of goals, spectacle and excitement, perhaps one of the most memorable encounters came in
the 2004-05 season, when Chelsea beat Barca 4-2 in Stamford Bridge. Chelsea took an early 3-o lead
but Barca fought back to make it 3-2, a score line that would have sent them through to the next
round. However, a fourth goal from the home side sealed Barca’s fate.
Champions League clashes
In total, Mourinho coached Chelsea in six matches against Barca and Inter in four
matches. This season, Barca played Inter four times; twice in the group stage (0-0 in the Giuseppe
Meazza and 2-0 in the Camp Nou) and the two legs of the semi-finals, 1-3 in Italy and 1-0 in
Barcelona. While in charge of Chelsea, the two sides met three seasons running, 2004-05 and 2005-06
in R16 and 2006-07 in the group stage.
Barca days
However, José Mourinho has not always been an opponent. In 1996 he joined Barca as an assistant to
veteran English coach Bobby Robson, and when Robson left at the end of the season, Mourinho stayed
on to assist Louis van Gaal. In the summer of 2000, Mourinho went back to Portugal to coach Porto,
with whom he won the Champions League, before moving on to highly successful stints with Chelsea
and Inter Milan.