MOURINHO COULD LEARN FROM WENGER ON LONGEVITY AFTER NEW CHELSEA CONTRACT

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Back in February, simmering with injustice in the wake of Chelsea's disappointing 1-1 draw at home to Burnley, Jose Mourinhoappeared on Sky Sports' 'Goals On Sunday' programme. Over the course of 27 minutes he spoke bullishly about controversies, referees and rivals before returning to one of his favourite subjects: Arsene Wenger.

"He has a dream job that we'd all love to have," Mourinho insisted of the Arsenal boss. "I think every manager in the world would like the stability of being here year after year after year, to buy, to sell, rebuild, to wait for success... and wait and wait."

Mourinho has rarely passed up an opportunity to express his disdain for Wenger; the "specialist in failure" he believes has been allowed to repeatedly fall short of success in a world where, in his eyes, winning is all that matters.

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GALLERY | Wenger versus Mourinho: the war of words

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We saw it this summer as the two sides prepared to do battle in the Community Shield at Wembley, with Mourinho dismissing the notion of Arsenal as financial underdogs that has mitigated Wenger falling short of the biggest trophies in seasons past. 

"If you add up the amounts clubs have spent in the last three or four years, I think maybe you will find a surprise," the Portuguese told reporters. 

"If you put Mesut Ozil plus Alexis Sanchez, plus Calum Chambers, plus Mathieu Debuchy, you will find a surprise. It's a fantastic squad with good players, a fantastic goalkeeper, they are more than ready to be title contenders."

When it comes to winning, the numbers speak emphatically in Mourinho's favour – 11 major trophies across three countries to the Frenchman's two in the 10 years between his first arrival at Stamford Bridge in 2004 and Arsenal's 11th FA Cup triumph in 2014. Sunday's triumph at Wembley was Wenger's first win against him on the pitch in 14 attempts.



But now, having committed himself to Chelsea with a new contract until June 2019, Mourinho is tasking himself with joining Wenger in the Premier League dynasty business. And while Roman Abramovich's yearly expectations might be more exacting than those of Stan Kroenke, there are lessons to be learned from the Arsenal boss in the art of longevity.

Mourinho is entering his third season for the second time at Chelsea. He has never satisfied his employer in his third campaign and never come close to reaching a fourth. The final year of this new contract would see him clock six years on his return to Stamford Bridge, and just over nine in total.

Such achievements would break new ground within the context of an otherwise phenomenal managerial CV. For all his sarcastic envy when it comes to Wenger's job security, Mourinho has rarely shown the inclination to lay down roots at a club – instead giving the impression of a man passing through, barely pausing to enjoy historic spoils before darting off to the next conquest.









Can he find fresh motivation in the same surroundings? Such unwavering enthusiasm has been a mark of Wenger's endurance at Arsenal, driving him to build new teams in the wake of key departures despite financial limitations, and without the validation that comes with a steady stream of silverware.

Mourinho, as he is so fond of saying, would not be permitted such a trophy drought at Stamford Bridge. "If I do that in Chelsea, eight years without silverware, I leave and I don't come back," he pledged during the now infamous "specialist in failure" speech.

But lasting the course at a club demands more than simply meeting expectations on the field. Mourinho will have to refresh his team, not just with smart signings but also by opening the senior doors to the cream of Chelsea's lavishly backed and hugely talented youth academy, just as Wenger has done with the likes of Jack Wilshere, Kieran Gibbs and Hector Bellerin.

He must also prove more adept at sensitively managing relationships with those above and below him. In the past there has been the sense that Mourinho's relentlessly combative nature necessitates a nomadic career; he burns so many bridges that he ends up alone on an island of his own making.

The magnanimous – if reluctant – acceptance of Petr Cech's move to Arsenal this summer hints at a greater maturity, but it will need to become a permanent character trait. Knowing that the Emirates Stadium had to be paid for, Wenger carried the can for the Gunners' inability to spend big or keep their best players for years, even when fan hostility looked set to overcome him.







Such sacrifices will not be required of Mourinho; the new Stamford Bridge, when it is finally built, will be financed solely by Abramovich. But while the billionaire Russian has scaled back his interference, the Chelsea manager will be expected to defer to higher power from time to time, even if the decision made runs counter to his more informed judgement.

Wenger has always been afforded more control in this regard, micro-managing almost every aspect of Arsenal's transformation into a modern European giant with, for better or worse, a stubborn insistence on beautiful football.

Mourinho's brief is to be a company man who works within the Chelsea system rather than running it. Ever since returning to Stamford Bridge as 'the Happy One' in the summer of 2013 it has been a role he insists he has no problem with, and to date the results have been spectacular.

The next four years pose a different set of challenges, but if Mourinho can succeed in moulding Chelsea in his image while swelling the club's trophy cabinet further, he will have the last word over Wenger once and for all.

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