"The Special One" has returned to manage to Chelsea for a second time.
Today it became official, something that Chelsea fans have been waiting to hear confirmed for weeks--Jose Mourinho will return to Stamford Bridge to manage the Blues on a four year contract. Financial terms were not disclosed, and Mourinho will be introduced at a Stamford Bridge news conference next Monday.
Mourinho first managed Chelsea from 2004-2007. He had won the Champions League with Porto prior to that, and brought Chelsea their first league title in 50 years at the end of his first season. During his tenure he won every available domestic honor: The Premier League, the League Cup, the FA Cup, and the Community Shield. He left after 2007 failing to achieve the Champions League success that Roman Abramovich so craved. From there he went to Inter Milan, where he won the Serie A and the Champions League, before starting his stint at Real Madrid.
Expectations will be high for Mourinho again at Chelsea. The fact that the Blues won the Champions League in 2012 has not reduced Roman's desire, as Roberto Di Matteo found out the hard way. Morale will be high, especially with the fans, who were never on board with the Benitez appointment. Still, Mourinho has spoken fondly of Chelsea and it's fans, and for the moment anyway, it seems like a match made in heaven, again.
Former Blues "interim manager" Rafa Benitez has taken leave of the club to go manage Napoli in Serie A. Napoli's previous boss, Walter Mazzarri, left the club to take over Inter Milan, leading Napoli's owner to compare him to a "cheating spouse." Rafa will have some big shoes to fill there, but the "Days of Our Lives" type coaching carousel will continue.
In the end, what do we make out of Rafa's stint at Chelsea? Certainly it could have been worse, as he won the Europa League and secured Chelsea's place in next year's Champions League. He also accomplished this under a TON of adversity. Still, in my mind, that was pretty much the bare minimum. With Chelsea's payroll and talent, they should expect to be in the Champion's League. What irks me the most was the loss of the Club World Cup. It might be a bit before we get another crack at that.
In the end however, I wish Rafa well. I still disagree with his appointment, but he helped bring the club European silverware, not an easy task, even if it was the Europa League. When you consider how many fixtures Chelsea took part in this last season, he deserves some credit, in my humble opinion.
Now it's time to look toward the future, which I think will be bright for the Blues. United will have a new look next year with Moyes, and City look to be going with a manager untried in the Premier League. Depending on what happens with Bale, Tottenham could be right back in the mix, and Arsenal aren't going to go away. Still, I think Chelsea and Mourinho are well positioned to compete with these guys. No doubt the Blues will make other moves during the summer window as well.
I, for one, can't wait! Welcome back Jose Mourinho!
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