Chelsea are on to a winner - the new Jose is the full package (but I was stupid to fight Mourinho... it wasn't the way to beat him)

By Jamie Carragher for the Daily Mail

Published: 18:03 EDT, 23 August 2013 | Updated: 18:32 EDT, 23 August 2013

What makes Jose Mourinho so special? He has the full package. Some managers are brilliant tacticians, others are masters at man-management but it is rare for them to be outstanding at both.

I’ve spoken to lots of players who have worked under him and have only heard good things. The feedback is always the same: you would have loved to play for Mourinho.

It is often said you should never return to a place where you have once enjoyed great success. Can the magic ever be recreated? I grew up supporting Everton and remember Howard Kendall’s second and third spells. Everton went from being champions (1987) to almost being relegated (1998).

New man: Jose Mourinho has made a fine start to his second spell in charge of Chelsea in the Premier League

There are, of course, examples of returning heroes flourishing — Jupp Heynckes leading Bayern Munich to the treble last season, for instance — but, in reality, when someone goes back they have little to gain and much to lose.

It is a gamble but I believe the ‘gamble’ Mourinho has taken will pay off.

Here’s why: when Real Madrid played Manchester United in the Champions League in March, I took my son, James, aged 10, to the team hotel in Manchester to catch up with my old Anfield team-mate Xabi Alonso. While we were talking, Mourinho joined us.

The half an hour we spent in his company was fascinating. He was in great spirits and gave James his autograph and posed for a picture. After that I started by asking him whether he kept the same managerial style regardless of the country he was managing in. He instantly shook his head.

‘You have to change,’ came the firm reply.

He spoke about his time in Italy with Inter Milan, where only results mattered. So long as a team won, regardless of how they played, there would be praise. Smaller teams, he said, would get praise for their tactics even if they showed no ambition against bigger opponents and suffered narrow defeats.

Then he moved on to talking about Madrid and the alterations he made to his style at the Bernabeu. He explained that he deployed a system with two wingers and a No 10 playmaker because Madrid’s tradition demanded it.

After that, the conversation turned to the Premier League and he casually dropped into the conversation that one of his children would be starting in school in London. There was a shrug of the shoulders and a grin. It was obvious he was going back to Chelsea.

Should you go back? Howard Kendall (above) struggled second time round at Everton but Jupp Heynckes (below) won the treble with Bayern Munich last season in his second spell with the German giants

You could see when he spoke about being in England, however, what it meant for him to manage here: the intensity, the drama, the battle required to come out on top. During his first spell here, he wanted Chelsea to win so much that it left me wanting to beat his teams more than anyone.

Playing Chelsea became bigger than playing Manchester United and Everton. That was simply because of him and the way he could get inside your head. I had my share of run-ins with him, like in the Carling Cup final in 2005.

We had a heated exchange on the touchline after he had accused Luis Garcia of feigning injury. After the game, he pulled me to one side and said: ‘You know why I did that, don’t you?’ 

Of course I did. He was trying to influence the referee.

I also gave an interview once in which I referred to Chelsea as being ‘a team from the 1980s’. It was a response to Mourinho comparing Liverpool’s style of play to Bolton as we had Peter Crouch at centre forward. As soon as I said it, I regretted it. It was stupid. He had rattled me. So he had won.

Clash: Mourinho shouts at Carragher during the Carling Cup Final which Chelsea went on to win

Some people will think the way he has behaved since returning is all an act; that he reverted to type when he went head to head with Paul Lambert on Wednesday. I don’t believe that is the case. He is evolving, constantly adapting his methods to maximise his potential for success.

He is trying to portray himself in a good light, explaining the spat with Lambert as ‘that is how I used to be’ and suggesting it wouldn’t be ethical to bid for Wayne Rooney before Chelsea’s first major test of the season against Manchester United. Would he have done that before? It is very unlikely.   

Inevitably, there will be similarities from that first spell which yielded two league titles, two league cups and an FA Cup. Look at the wins against Hull and Aston Villa: one was gained by getting an early lead, then killing the game. The other was a grind.

But little things are noticeably different. His programme notes, for instance. He talked before the Hull game about how supporters should stop chanting for him and concentrate on the players.  The style in which Chelsea play is also different: quick interchanges and subtle passing is the order of the day.

Focus on them! Jose Mourinho wants people to concentrate on the players not on his antics on the touchline

Roman Abramovich wants to play more expansively now when last time it was all about winning. Equally, the players Chelsea have signed this summer were done before Jose arrived — and that caused problems in 2006. Will it cause problems now?

Perhaps not but back then, everything was a fight. This Jose Mourinho is not the one who came from Porto in 2004 yet there is a significant constant about him. 

He can be described as the Special One, the Happy One, or — for the time being — the Different One but, come the end of his time at Chelsea, I’m convinced Jose Mourinho will be known as the Winning One.

Feeling blue for a day to watch Roberto

I’m going back to Goodison Park today to watch Everton as an observer for the first time in around 20 years.

I want to get out to as many games as possible this season and am looking forward to seeing how Everton set up under Roberto Martinez.

His job is as difficult as any manager in the current Premier League in trying to match the consistency of his predecessor, David Moyes.

Raring to go: Roberto Martinez takes charge of Everton for the first time at home in the Premier League

It will be fascinating to see how Everton progress this season and it will be good to watch Ross Barkley in action.

Those of you who read last week’s column will know how highly I rate Barkley and his performance at Norwich last week, when he scored a cracking goal, was outstanding.

When I asked Everton’s press officer about getting a ticket in the main stand, he asked me if I would prefer to sit in the Gwladys Street end — where Everton’s more vocal supporters are located — like I used to when I was younger, so I could ‘bring back the happy memories’.

My reply was: ‘But what about the bad memories?’

I still shudder about watching Ray Atteveld, Mike Milligan and Martin Keown when I was growing up (only joking, Martin!).

In all seriousness, I am enjoying the diversity that my new roles with Sportsmail and Sky allow.

New job: Jamie Carragher visited Anfield to watch Liverpool as he adjusts to life after playing

I went back to Anfield seven days ago for Liverpool’s game with Stoke but I didn’t feel any sense of longing to be playing again when I arrived at the ground.

Last Sunday I was at Stamford Bridge for Chelsea’s game with Hull, where I saw Roman Abramovich and met Andriy Shevchenko, though I didn’t mention anything to Shevchenko about his penalty miss in Istanbul!

Getting to so many matches is helping the transition from playing to retirement. It makes me feel as if I am still part of the game.

My five young players to watch

1 JOHN STONES (EVERTON), 19: I was impressed by him at the Under 20 World Cup this summer and Roberto Martinez believes he is ready to play for the first team already. He was man of the match in a pre-season friendly against Juventus, scoring a ‘Panenka-style’ dinked penalty in the shootout.

One to watch: John Stones impressed for Everton during their pre-season

2 WILL HUGHES  (DERBY), 18: His reputation is growing by the week and he was excellent when England’s Under 21s demolished Scotland 6-0 earlier this month. The way he carries himself and the way he passes the ball suggest he has got a big future.

3 JORDON IBE  (LIVERPOOL), 17:  Made his Premier League debut on the day that I retired last May. He is a fearless young winger, quick and strong with an eye for goal. He has done well during the pre-season and I expect to be hearing a lot more about him.

Main man: Winger Jordan Ibe will be hoping to make his mark on the Liverpool first team this season

4 NATHANIEL CHALOBAH (CHELSEA), 18: He looks the part, an imposing midfielder with strength and energy. I watched him a few times for Watford last year and the goal he scored against Leicester — a rocket from 25 yards — provided a glimpse of what he can do.

5 ADNAN JANUZAJ  (MAN UTD), 18: I watched United three times during their pre-season tour and he was the best player in every game. He seemed to have good balance, was quick and capable of scoring too. It is easy to envisage him making his mark in the first team this year.

Future star: Adnan Januzaj (right) burst on to the scene this summer at Manchester United