Former Tottenham head coach Andre Villas-Boas has raved about the career Jose Mourinho has had in European football and has claimed that the Tottenham boss’ success has opened doors for people like him.
There were similarities in the way both Mourinho and Villas-Boas rose to fame, with both enjoying success at Porto before getting an opportunity at Chelsea.
However, Villas-Boas did not enjoy the same success in English football as the special one and he clearly does not look fondly on his time with Chelsea and Tottenham, having vowed to never manage in the Premier League again (Radio Renascenca via Daily Mail).
The 42-year-old has since rebuilt his career with an impressive spell in charge of Zenit Saint Petersburg and is now gaining plaudits with the job he is doing in Marseille.
Villas-Boas insisted that Mourinho and former Paris Saint-Germain boss Artur Jorge were trailblazers for Portuguese coaches in Europe.
Speaking to Canal 11 (as relayed by Goal.com), he said: “Our ability to adapt to different environments makes the difference, as well as our wisdom and study of the game, our ability to lead and communicate.
“It is undeniable that these doors were initially opened by Artur Jorge and José Mourinho, as the first great ambassadors of Portuguese coaches abroad and that allowed us to open doors in any market in the world.
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“Of course, then you have to succeed and that’s the brand that we guarantee, a little bit like what the Dutch coaches achieved a few years ago.
“That image is now associated with the Portuguese coaches: the ability to adapt, to arrive and win, to assemble good teams and good structures is undoubtedly one of our brands and I think that’s the main fact for which we are most respected around the world.”
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Villas-Boas’ point about the Portuguese coaches building a reputation for getting the best out of the resources handed to them, just like the Dutch coaches built a reputation for total football, certainly has some merit.
Portuguese coaches, in general, seem to view the game much more pragmatically in comparison their Spanish and South American counterparts. Perhaps being raised in a football culture that had to learn to maximise their modest resources to compete with the big boys, had something to do with the way Portuguese coaches have evolved.
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