27 PRINT A A A As the most successful manager in the Premier League and its biggest name now that Sir Alex Ferguson has gone, it should be no great surprise to see Jose Mourinho doing his very best to influence the decision-makers in the game, from referees to the Football Association.
The problem for the Chelsea manager is that I just don’t think it is working for him.
It is inevitable that he would try. All the top managers do it, and I suppose he should be applauded for making the effort to get himself into a television studio and engage in some kind of debate, as he did on Sunday. Everything he does is for the good of his team and I understand the reasons he does it.
It just seems to me there is an unwillingness among referees to be influenced by him. I am not saying they are making the wrong decisions on purpose, just that there is a resistance to being told what to do.
Jose Mourinho on Sky Sports last Sunday Jose Mourinho on Sky Sports last Sunday To be clear, I don’t think Nemanja Matic should have been sent off against Burnley. I believe that Cesc Fabregas should have been given a penalty against Southampton. I don’t think that Diego Costa should have been banned retrospectively for stepping on the ankle of Emre Can. But I also think Mourinho should remember that he has had some close calls in other games that have gone his way.
Chelsea 1 Burnley 1 player ratings 1 of 24 CHELSEA: Thibaut Courtois Next CHELSEA: Thibaut CourtoisBranislav IvanovicKurt ZoumaJohn TerryFilipe LuisNemanja MaticCesc FabregasJuan CuadradoOscarEden HazardDiego CostaFrom the bench: RamiresBURNLEY: Tom HeatonKieran TrippierJason ShackellMichael KeaneBen MeeGeorge BoydDavid JonesScott ArfieldMichael KightlyAshley BarnesDanny IngsFrom the bench: Sam Vokes
The footage of Branislav Ivanovic locking an arm around James McCarthy’s throat in the Everton game did not look good. Equally, Gary Cahill, when he kicked Harry Kane in the New Year’s Day game at White Hart Lane when the striker was on the ground. Cahill’s challenge on Alexis Sanchez in October that angered Arsène Wenger was not too clever either.
There is no campaign against Mourinho but there is clearly an unwillingness by referees, and the FA, to be pushed around.
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There is no doubt that my former manager Sir Alex exerted an influence over some referees. He was the master of dropping a comment into his Friday press conference – for instance, how long it had been since we had been given a penalty, or the treatment meted out to a player like Cristiano Ronaldo. It was always calculated and delivered calmly.
How would I describe the impression I got from some referees when it came to Sir Alex? I think some of them wanted to please him. I don’t mean that they did us favours. It was more that they were very keen not to make mistakes in our games. That when they came to Old Trafford they wanted to be on top of their game and get everything right.
It goes without saying that no one at United ever expected any help. We understood that decisions can go against you. We believed we were the better team and therefore, if the referee got his decisions right then we would win the vast majority of our games.
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I don’t know what reaction Mourinho expects from referees in saying what he has about them. If he had hoped that they would be more likely to give his team the split decisions then it has not worked. They seem to be determined not to be seen to be influenced by him.
As for the foul and reprisal that went on between Ashley Barnes and Matic on Saturday, my verdict would have been yellow cards for both of them. It was not a leg-breaking tackle, as Mourinho said. It was not even close. Why? Because Matic got up immediately and ran after him. If a tackle is potentially leg-breaking then, even if the leg in question remains intact, the player fouled does not get up and run after his opponent.
wut? Just because it didn't end up as serious as it could have, it doesn't mean it wasn't potentially leg breaking.